


The Storm

by BrokenBlueHeart



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng Fluff, Akumatized Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire Is The Best, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Tragedy, Awesome Nino Lahiffe, Betaed, Blood and Injury, Character Death, Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng Fluff, Comfort/Angst, Crying, Cutting, Dead Sabine Cheng, Depression, Dreams and Nightmares, Drowning, Eiffel Tower, Electricity, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fox Alya Césaire | Rena Rouge, Good Parent Tom Dupain, Good Parents Sabine Cheng & Tom Dupain, Heavy Angst, Hurt Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Hurt Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Injury Recovery, Late Night Conversations, Major Character Injury, Marichat | Adrien Agreste as Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Marinette Dupain-Cheng Needs a Hug, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug Deserves Better, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug Identity Reveal, Mentioned Sabine Cheng, Minor Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Minor Injuries, Minor Sabine Cheng/Tom Dupain, Miraculous Holder Alya Césaire, Multi, Nightmares, Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Plagg Being Plagg (Miraculous Ladybug), Plagg Cares (Miraculous Ladybug), Plagg is a Little Shit (Miraculous Ladybug), Poor Nino Lahiffe, Poor Plagg (Miraculous Ladybug), Poor Tikki (Miraculous Ladybug), Protective Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Protective Alya Césaire, Protective Plagg (Miraculous Ladybug), Protective Tikki (Miraculous Ladybug), Protective Tom Dupain, Rain, Serious Injuries, Storms, Supportive Plagg (Miraculous Ladybug), Supportive Tikki (Miraculous Ladybug), Sweet Tom Dupain, Tags Are Hard, Tags Contain Spoilers, Tags May Change, Thunder and Lightning, Visions, Visions in dreams
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-22
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:13:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 16
Words: 24,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25454482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrokenBlueHeart/pseuds/BrokenBlueHeart
Summary: She's always loved the rain.She looked to the rain for comfort, to wash all of her troubles away and clear her mind.But apparently her troubles aren't the only things it washes away.After a certain accident on a rainy day, Marinette hasn't been able to function properly. Not even her strong, levelheaded alter ego Ladybug can stay strong forever before she cracks.All of her friends try to help her out through this difficult time, only to see Marinette fall deeper into despair.With Hawkmoth, akumas, a family death, and ever increasing depression, Marinette needs all the help and support that she can get to prevail from her difficult life and the serious probability of becoming akumatized into the most powerful akuma Chat Noir has had to face alone.Can anyone heal her broken heart, or will she sink so far down she can't get back up to the surface anymore?Well...Let's just say,She doesn't love the rain anymore.•••Cross posted from Wattpad
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Alya Césaire, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Nino Lahiffe, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Plagg, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire & Nino Lahiffe, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Nino Lahiffe, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Tikki
Comments: 31
Kudos: 88





	1. The Calm Before The Storm

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know if "The Storm" at the end of every chapter name gets annoying and I'll get rid of it.
> 
> I wrote and posted this story on Wattpad, and I hit a road block after chapter 15.  
> So I need help with ideas or clues on how to finish this story and I'll be happy if you guys can help once we get to it.
> 
> This story is supposed to be really angsty, given a family death n all, but I'm not sure how well I portrayed that

Grey clouds were filling the sky above the city of Paris, telling every citizen of its upcoming downpour.

While most people would be grabbing their umbrellas and raincoats and cursing at the sky, there is one specific high schooler who relishes in the scent of incoming rain and the dark skies.

Marinette leaned on her balcony rail, her head turned up to the cloudy skies, eyes closed and a large smile on her face.

She has always loved rainy days. She could cry along with the skies, yell and scream out her frustrations along with the thunder with no one able to hear her, her troubles washing away with the overflowing streams and clearing up her mind of anything negative, leaving a clean and open mind much like the sight of a green meadow covered in shiny rain droplets after the skies had cleared, leaving behind a beautiful wonderland. 

Marinette sniffed the air, enjoying the overwhelming scent of fresh rain.

"Marinette, Marinette! We gotta go or you're gonna be late for school!"

Marinette turned to see the small red kwami struggling to get the trap door open while warning her holder of the time. She checked her phone and freaked out at how late she was. She had spent the past hour looking at the gray clouds and sniffing the rain.

"Thanks Tikki! Let's go!" Marinette ran down the few steps that connected her room and balcony and rushed to grab her backpack, Tikki flying into her purse. She ran downstairs to the bakery and quickly grabbed a few cookies, putting all but one in her purse.

"Bye mom! Bye dad!" Marinette gave her parents a hug and kissed their cheeks, heading out after they waved goodbye. She ran to the school, eating her cookie along the way.

By the time Marinette made it to the school, the bell rang for class to start. Marinette cursed herself and ran straight for her classroom, hoping the teacher wasn't there yet.

Marinette nearly burst through the doors, earning all eyes on her. She gave a shakey and nervous chuckle, panting heavily as she moved to sit in her seat next to Alya and ignoring whatever rude remark Cloe had spat at her. She had gotten used to just blocking out her voice.

"Girl, you're late. Again. You're lucky the teacher isn't here yet or you'd be busted. What's the excuse this time?" Alya asks as she lightly scolds Marinette at the same time.

"Sorry... I just got caught up looking at the sky. You should know how much I love the rain." Marinette said as she finally caught her breath.

"Serious? You were nearly caught being late because of your rain obsession? That's definitely a new one." Alya laughs as she ruffles up Marinette's hair playfully. 

Marinette chuckles nervously as the teacher finally enters the classroom, apologizing for her tardiness and ushering everyone to be quiet before starting class.

\---

By the time school was over, it was starting to lightly rain outside. Marinette rushed out of the school and stepped out into the rain, a large smile tugging at her lips and already feeling her mind slowly becoming clear the more she stands there.

Alya followed her out, an umbrella opened above her. "Girl, don't stand in the rain, you'll get sick."

Marinette smiled at her before shaking her head and stepping away from the safety of the umbrella. "I'm good Alya, I don't get sick easily from just a little drizzle." 

"If you say so." Alya shrugged and started heading home with Marinette. "Don't go complaining to me when you're stuck in bed with a cold, not able to see your precious Adrien." She playfully shoved Marinette, getting her hand wet in the process.

Marinette chuckled as they continued to talk while walking home, Alya eventually heading a different direction to her house.

Marinette continued home, while getting stares from people under different colored umbrellas as they passed by, and walked into the bakery all soaked.

"Oh! Marinette you smell like a wet dog," Sabine, Marinette's mother, said as she chuckled at her daughter, "Go and change before helping us out."

Marinette nodded and gave her mother a hug, despite her playful protests, and heads up to her room laughing.

She looked through her closet for fresh clothes as Tikki flies out of her bag.

"You know, it wouldn't hurt if you took a shower." Tikki said as she plugged up her nose in a non-hurtful and playful manner.

Marinette chuckled, "Well, what would be the point if I'm still gonna stand outside in the rain when it finally starts to downpour later?" She reasons as she changed her clothes.

Tikki sighs as she figures she's right. She flies over to Marinette's desk and sits down on her sketchbook as she watches Marinette give her a quick goodbye and head down to the bakery.

After quite a few hours working in the bakery, it had finally started to downpour hard and the bakery is closed.

"I'm going to go out and buy more ingredients, I'll be back in a little bit." Sabine said as she packed money and grabbed an umbrella. 

"Are you sure you don't want me to go mom?" Marinette asks as she stands next to her father, both a bit worried for the woman.

Sabine only smiled at her before replying, "Knowing you, you'd go without an umbrella and we need our ingredients dry."

Marinette chuckled a little because it was true. "Alright alright, be careful." She gave her mother a kiss on the cheek and opened the door for her.

Sabine gave a smile before heading out.

Marinette went back up to her room and stood on her balcony after having taken out her pigtails. She stared up at the crying sky and soon started to cry with it, her quiet sobs being drowned out by the howling wind.

They both cried together, the sky's reasons for doing so being unknown to everyone who witnessed it. Marinette on the other hand, is crying over a certain emerald eyed, blonde boy who she has an unrequited crush on.

The sky mourns with her, knowing full well the reason why she's crying with it this time. It allowed lightning and thunder to ravage the skies in anger as it watched Marinette's tears and torn expression and listened to her tortured cries and shouts.

After a short while of the two letting out their tears and shouts of sorrow, Marinette calmed down slightly and reduced her screaming to small whimpers, the sky calming down in turn, its howling winds reduced to slow breezes and the downpour now barely over a heavy drizzle.

Marinette looked up to the sky and sniffled, tears slowly rolling down her cheeks. She smiled at the sky before wiping her tears and went down to her room.

She hurried her way to her bathroom, trying not to leave large puddles on her floor from how much her clothes and shoes were soaked and dripping.

Marinette quickly peeled off her clammy clothes and went into her shower. Her mind was slightly numb from all of the crying but it was clear. She let out everything she needed to and now she felt refreshed.

But Marinette has yet to know that her refreshed mind was about to be filled with dread and anguish once more in much more extreme levels as soon as she got rid of it.

~To Be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Words : 1244  
> Published (Wattpad) : 4-3-19  
> Published (AO3) : 7-22-20


	2. The Damage Following The Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette and her father, Tom, soon find out about a terrible tragedy that has befallen upon their small family

After Marinette had taken a quick shower, she exited the bathroom with a towel around her and went straight to her closet. She searched around for fresh clothes again and put them on, brushing out the tangles and water from her hair afterwards.

Marinette entered her room as she towel-dried her hair. "Hey Tikki. Are you hungry? I'm pretty sure my mom should've returned by now."

"I am a bit hungry. Thanks Marinette." Tikki replied sweetly from her spot on Marinette's pillow.

Marinette smiled and went down through her trapdoor, still rubbing her head with the towel. As she got down, she noticed it was a bit noisy in the bakery. 

Marinette made her way into the bakery and saw Tom, her father, talking to Sabrina's father and another officer.

"Hey dad? What's.. going on?" She asked, concern and confusion in her voice as she walked up to Tom and the two officers.

When she looked at his face, she was shocked to see the tears and broken expression on his face. She looked back to the officers and finally registered their solemn faces.

Marinette backed up a bit as the towel fell from her head to around her shoulders with one end still in her hand, and wondered what was going on but afraid of the answer she might receive. Her mind went crazy with theories until a certain thought made her whole body go cold with dread as she dropped her towel on the floor.

"D-dad..?" She stuttered out quietly, her next question coming out in a trembling voice and causing the tension in the room to rise dramatically, "Where's mom..?"

\---

Marinette sat on her bed hugging her knees to her chest while staring off to the wall with dull eyes.

Sabine... her mother... was caught up in an accident on her way to the store and died... Nobody had discovered her body until after the rain had cleared. They notified Marinette and Tom about it quickly so they haven't done the autopsy and figured out what was the exact reason for her death just yet.

Marinette couldn't believe that her mother was gone. She had spent the past few hours sitting on her bed processing everything as she stared at nothing, rarely blinking. 

Tikki had given up trying to comfort the poor girl after the first hour, realizing she wasn't listening to anything she said and just needed time to register everything.

She sat at the front of Marinette's feet in silence, looking up at her face in concern. She knew she wasn't going to sleep anytime soon with how much her miraculous holder was distressed. 

As much as she wanted to, Marinette couldn't cry. There was no rainfall. She couldn't cry without the sky crying with her, her body had become accustomed to the harsh, cold rain pelting her body as she cried so now she couldn't cry without that feeling. 

Marinette and Tikki both kept quiet for several more hours until the grief and exhaustion finally forced them to sleep.

\---

The next day, Marinette woke up a little after noon feeling completely drained of everything, guilt and remorse being the only two emotions remaining. 

It was a school day but it seems that Tom decided to let her sleep in. It makes sense, Marinette just lost her mother and he lost his wife, anyone would take a couple days off of their daily activities. 

Marinette sat up on her bed and noticed her blanket had been covering her. Tikki or her dad must've pulled her blanket over her after she passed out. She stood up wobbling a bit and walked over to her desk to check her phone for the time.

She noticed several worried texts from Alya but chose to ignore them, setting her phone back down after silencing it.

Marinette sat down on her chair and pulled out her sketchbook, deciding to do some sketches to clear her mind.

"-nette? Marinette!" Marinette jumped slightly and turned to see her tired looking Kwami calling her.

She checked the time and noticed she had been sketching for about 2 hours.

"Marinette, I know you dont want to do anything or think about your mom," at this, Marinette choked back a sob as her breath hitched, "but you need to eat. Your dad's been calling you down to eat for a few minutes now..."

Marinette leaned back in her chair and let her head fall back. "Alright..." Her voice sounded a bit hoarse even though she hadn't been crying or hasn't used it for too long. She got up and got changed then went down to the bakery to see her dad.

\---

After they had a silent and grief filled lunch, Marinette returned to her room and looked through the sketches she had done in those 2 hours. 

She opened up to the last known page she sketched in which was a shirt inspired by her mother. She reluctantly started to turn the pages to look at several depressing looking sketches of dresses and suits, noticing some equally depressing notes on some pages by the corners too.

Marinette sighed and closed her sketchbook. The sketches looked like the choices of clothes you'd see when deciding on an outfit for a funeral.

She sat in her chair again and decided she'd use one of the dresses when attending her mother's funeral. Despite them being depressing, she was still a fashion designer so she couldn't deny that they looked good.

She noticed her phone to the side and grabbed it, checking out the numerous texts and missed calls from Alya.

Alya: Girl, seriously, where are you?  
Alya: Ok, you've been gone the whole day and you don't do that without giving a reason first  
Alya: Marinette, you haven't answered any of my calls and left my texts on "read", what's going on?  
Alya: Are you ok? What's wrong?  
Alya: Do I need to go over to your place and check up on you?  
Alya: Mari, please talk to me...

The last text was sent about 10 minutes ago followed by 5 calls.

Marinette sighed and walked to her bed, collapsing on top of it. She wanted to respond and call her back so bad but she didn't trust her voice or actions. A part of her wished her best friend would come over and comfort her, but a part also hoped she wouldn't, she wasn't ready for all of the questions that would come her way. But she had to tell her sooner or later. 

Marinette buried her face in her pillow and closed her eyes, not wanting to think about anything at the moment. She eventually fell asleep thinking about her mother's smile.

~To Be Continued 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Words : 1128  
> Published (Wattpad) : 4-7-19  
> Published (AO3) : 7-23-20
> 
> I will post a chapter everyday until I reach chapter 15. So that means I will post everyday for 2 weeks.
> 
> My usual update times are Wednesdays but I want to hurry with getting these chapters out so people can help me continue it, cause I really am stuck.


	3. The Reactions Of The Result Of The Storm

_Marinette stood confused as she was outside in the rain. She turned her body to get a view of where she was. When she spotted someone, she froze on the spot._

_She saw her mother walking down a path near a raging stream with an umbrella facing towards the harsh wind and rain that poured down on her._

_Marinette followed her down the path until she saw a flash of white and heard a thunderous roar echo throughout the sky. It seemed Sabine noticed as she turned her head to look at the sky in the direction where the thunder came from._

_But what neither of them knew was that another bolt of lightning came down just a few meters away from them and hitting a tree, blinding them for a moment and instinctively moving away from the strike._

_A scream could be heard from the blinding and Marinette tried to blink away the white and black spots that were dancing across her vision, terror and her fight response activating as her body was ready to react to help whoever screamed._

_She blinked a few more times and noticed her mother was gone, the umbrella on the floor being threatened to blow away at any second._

_Marinette looked frantically for her mother and her heart dropped to her stomach as she saw her being washed away in the stream._

_Marinette immediately took action and ran after her. She reached out her hand only to be shocked, seeing her hand covered in her red Ladybug suit._

_Just as she was about to grab Sabine's hand, her head goes underneath the water and doesn't come back up._

_Ladybug panics and desperately looks in the dark waters for any sign of her mother, only to find none. She feels tears threaten to leave her eyes as she continues to search._

_After a short while of frantic searching and heading downstream, the rain mostly stopped and the water in the overflowing stream retreated a bit. Once she reaches further downstream, her heart stops._

_On the muddy ground just a few feet away from where the surface of the overflowing stream once was, was Sabine's drenched body._

_Ladybug ran to her quickly and tried to pick her up._

_'Mom? Mom!' She was shouting out to her but there was no sound, everything was so eerily quiet it started to freak Ladybug out even more._

_Ladybug._

_She was Ladybug and yet she wasn't able to save her own mother..._

_Realization hits her as she cries and shouts out in anger and frustration, but everything remains silent._

_She wasn't able to save her mother because Ladybug hadn't went on patrol like she always did, and now that will haunt her forever._

Marinette jolted up in bed in a cold sweat, her breathing labored and coming in as fast pants.

_It was a dream... No... It felt too real..._

Her hand reached up and gripped her bangs, feeling a headache in the works. Lately, everytime she sleeps, Marinette always has the same dream of what happened to her mother on that pouring day.

She looked around the room and noticed Tikki sleeping on her pillow. She looked out the window and saw that it was dark out.

Marinette groaned a bit and got out of bed, walking over to her phone. There were several more missed calls and texts from Alya, Nino, and even Adrien, which surprised her a bit.

She sat back down on her bed and stared at a black dress on top of her desk blankly. It had been a whole week since her mother died and the nightmares started and she hadn't gone to school that entire time. Marinette had ignored most of her friends' worried texts and calls, only replying to them once or twice.

Marinette wondered if the school called about her or if anyone in her class found out, but guessing by her friends' texts and no one coming over to comfort her about her loss, she assumed no one in class knew. 

It was currently Sunday night and Marinette had to go to school at some point to tell everyone about the news so she decided to go back tomorrow. 

Marinette hadn't even went out to do patrol with Chat Noir the whole week. She should probably do that soon so he wouldn't get too worried or suspicious. He's most likely being worried and trying to tie together her identity at this moment.

Luckily, there wasn't any akuma attacks the whole week so Ladybug wasn't even needed.

Marinette sighed as she continued to sit on her bed, looking out her window for the remaining hours until she had to go to school.

-

Marinette slowly walked up the stairs to the school and went inside. As soon as Alya spotted Marinette walk in, she screamed out her name and ran to her, causing their class to look and crowd around her.

She felt slightly uncomfortable being asked all kinds of questions at once while being crowded, but luckily she didn't have to say anything as Alya noticed her best friend's uneasy face, telling everyone to back off.

After everyone backed off, Marinette quietly thanked Alya and started to slowly walk off to class with her, everyone following after.

Alya noticed the empty and painful expression on her best friend's face as they sit down in their seats. She quietly whispers questions to Marinette to see what's bothering her so much.

Marinette replied to all of Alya's questions quietly but loud enough for everyone crowded around to hear. As she replies and explains everything, the whole class shared shocked, upset, and tearful expressions at the news. The entire time she explained, Marinette's eyes were glossy and looked like she would cry, but no tears fell out.

The class gave their condolences and a few hugs to Marinette before the teacher eventually came in and told them to take their seats. Alya hugged Marinette, not letting her go the entire time while Nino gently held her hands, trying to focus on the lesson in vain as he kept thinking about Marinette's pain. The only person missing from comforting Marinette being Adrien.

~To Be Continued 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Words : 1031  
> Published (Wattpad) : 4-10-19  
> Published (AO3) : 7-24-20
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyed, and sorry these chapters are so short
> 
> Next chapter will be updated tmr


	4. The Reunion After The Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien finally finds out what happened, and Ladybug and Chat Noir have a small moment

Adrien rushed up the stairs to school and ran towards his class in a hurry. He got held up doing something for his father in the morning which took longer than expected, so now he's about an hour late for school. 

Adrien opens the door in a rush and could nearly feel the cold tension in the room which made him stop in his tracks as a shiver went down his spine. He looks around the room and spots a depressed looking Marinette back in her usual seat behind his and next to Alya.

He then took notice how Nino was holding her hands and Alya was clinging to her, not letting go. He quickly gave the teacher his reason to why he's late and bolts towards his seat.

Marinette looked absolutely devastated in Adrien's opinion. He tried asking her a few questions but got no response.

Alya didn't pay much attention to Adrien's questions, too busy comforting Marinette. Nino reluctantly let go of Marinette's hands and turns to his best friend, explaining the whole situation.

-

After Adrien had been filled in about what happened to Marinette by Nino, he was completely shocked. He had never expected her mom to lose her life so early on in Marinette's life. 

Adrien felt a bit guilty after being silent and thinking a bit. If he had gone on patrol that night, he might have been able to save her and Marinette wouldn't have to suffer so much.

By lunch time, Alya was still holding onto Marinette and Nino still holding her hands, having held them again after telling Adrien her situation. Adrien simply looked at her with sympathy and a bit of jealousy, not wanting to make Marinette uncomfortable by him touching her but craving to hug her tightly like Alya and give her face gentle kisses to make her feel better.

 _Wait.. Kisses?_ Adrien shook his head slightly at the thought, looking back into Marinette's dull blue eyes.

They sat in their seats the whole lunch, neither one of the group ever getting up for lunch or otherwise.

-

The school day was finally over, letting students go home.

As everyone exited the school, they each gave a hug to Marinette before saying words of encouragement and goodbyes.

The group of 4 best friends walked together towards the bakery, walking in along with Marinette once they got there. They had all noticed how the bakery was closed the entire week after the accident, but had never known why until now.

They all quietly follow Marinette up to her room and sit on her bed. 

After a few minutes of silence, Alya moved towards Marinette and hugged her. The two boys soon do the same, making Marinette sob quietly with no tears rolling down her face. They stay like that for about an hour before Marinette realizes the time.

She sniffles and pulls away from the grateful hug as she sighs. "You-you guys should go... you probably have stuff to do... I, uh.. also have to start on homework..."

"Marinette, you just lost your mom. I'm pretty sure the teacher will let you skip a couple of assignments if you still need time and don't feel up to it." Alya argued gently as she held Marinette's hand. 

Nino nodded his head and took Marinette's other hand, "Although I am curious as to how Hawkmoth still hasn't akumatized you yet."

Adrien smacks him in the arm while Alya glares at him.

Nino lets go of her hand to rub his arm, "Ow," he pouts at Adrien.

The statement was enough to pull Marinette out of her guilty thoughts for a moment.

_That's right... it's been a whole week and yet Hawkmoth hasn't made a move at all to akumatize me. Why?_

Marinette gets pulled out of her thoughts when Alya's hand leaves her own and two arms start to embrace her gently. She looks up slightly to see Adrien's blonde hair resting on her shoulder, making her cheeks give off a light pink tint.

She looks towards Alya to see if there's any explanation to why her crush was hugging her or if this was all just a dream, but instead saw Alya and Nino sitting next to each other, both giving Marinette shit eating grins.

Marinette blushed a little more before Adrien finally let go of her. He looked into her eyes, a hidden and unknown emotion in them that she can't quite place.

"Remember that we're here for you Marinette. We won't let anything happen to you so you _don't have to worry about being akumatized_ ," Adrien turned his head to playfully glare at Nino who in turn averts his gaze, pretending to be oblivious. 

Marinette felt her lips curl slightly into a tiny but genuine smile. She was lucky she had great friends to help her. She moved to the edge of the bed and stood up, which got the three's attention. 

"Thanks you guys. I really appreciate you trying to cheer me up," she rubbed the back of her head before continuing, "As much as I want you guys to stay, I have to take a shower and help my dad get the bakery ready to open again."

The other three nodded slowly, a little upset that they can't stay longer. They reluctantly got up and gave Marinette one last hug before waving as they left the bakery. 

After they left, Marinette sighed and called out for Tikki. She appeared from her bed and flew over to Marinette.

"What's wrong?" Tikki asked, always concerned about her holder.

"I think Ladybug has been on hiatus for too long. Chat might start suspecting some things already if he isn't busy worrying about where I went. Even if I don't want to do anything after... my mom's accident.. it doesn't mean I should put off my responsibilities as Ladybug."

"Even Ladybug deserves a few days off, especially with what happened... " Tikki said as she looks down.

"I know, Tikki, but I already took a week off and I need to go to patrol and explain something to Chat Noir." Marinette replied, earning a small nod from Tikki. "Tikki, spots on."

Marinette transformed into Ladybug and went up to her balcony. She looked at the city real quick before heading towards the Eiffel Tower; her and Chat's usual meeting place before patrol.

Once she made it there, she saw Chat Noir already there waiting.

Chat Noir heard a light thud behind him and the unmistakable sound of Ladybug's yo-yo retracting, turning around to see her standing there a bit awkwardly. He rushed to her and gave her a big hug. 

Ladybug was surprised that Chat hugged her before asking questions, though she assumed it's because she was MIA for the past week. She eventually returned the hug, feeling a bit better than before. 

Chat reluctantly broke the hug and looked over Ladybug, trying to see if there was anything wrong physically for why she was absent.

He thought a bit before asking, "What, uh.. Why were you gone from patrol a whole week?"

Ladybug looks down, recalling her mother and the officers at her house delivering the news.

Chat Noir noticed Ladybug's silence and saw a hint of deep sadness in her eyes that almost reminded him of Marinette's grief filled eyes, regretting asking her about what happened. Before he could open his mouth to take back his question, Ladybug answered. 

"My... Uh, just some family stuff." She continued looking down at the ground as she kept her answer as vague as possible. 

Chat Noir looked at her a bit suspiciously, knowing that whatever happened is really bothering her. "Alright, M'Lady. I won't pry if you feel uncomfortable. Just know that I'm here to listen to you if you do decide to tell me."

Ladybug looked up at Chat as he gave her a smile, making her eyes tear up a bit and she gives him a gentle hug, grateful that he respects her wishes.

Chat froze at the sudden hug but soon returned the gentle embrace, petting her head soothingly. 

After a short bit, Ladybug broke the hug and scratched the back of her neck. She felt a bit awkward at showing her emotions, other than her usual strong attitude, to Chat and decided to quickly dismiss it and move onto something else to focus on. "We should probably go and do patrol now."

Chat nodded in silence and they both quickly patrolled the city. 

~To Be Continued 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Words : 1417  
> Published (Wattpad) : 4-17-19  
> Published (AO3) : 7-25-20  
>    
> Its nearly midnight here and I forgot I had to post this chapter bc it was my older sisters bday today and I didnt actually get back to my room till like an hour ago or so.
> 
> Next chapter update will be tmr again, so have a nice day and/or night and I hope you guys enjoy the story so far


	5. The Comfort Offered After The Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette has a comforting moment with Chat Noir

After Ladybug and Chat Noir finished up patrol, they went their separate ways, with Ladybug heading to her house.

Ladybug landed on her balcony and detransformed. She looked over the city from her balcony before entering her room with Tikki through her trap door.

Marinette collapsed onto the bed, holding her pillow close to her chest and burying her face in it. Tikki flew up to her and hugged her cheek. Marinette smiled and gently pets her head. 

A knock came from her trap door leading to her balcony, making both Marinette and Tikki jump in surprise. 

Marinette looks up to her door and signals for Tikki to hide. She stands up and opens the hatch, finding wide bright green eyes staring right at her in surprise, Marinette giving off the same look.

"Chat Noir..?" She questions more than stated, backing up to let him in. He nods and enters her room, landing softly on his feet before looking back to Marinette.

"I um... I just wanted to check up on you, you didn't answer any of my knocks this week..." Chat now knows the reason why she didn't answer but he couldn't show that he knew since he only found out as Adrien, despite not wanting her to relive the memory again.

"O-oh... uh.. well..." Marinette looked down with tears gathering in her eyes as she rubs her arm, uncomfortable. "My... my mom... she-she d-died... last week... I just needed a break to be alone..."

Even though Chat wasn't as shocked as he was before when recieving the news from Nino, it pained him even more to hear it in her own words that she had lost her mother. 

Her near silent sobs brings him out of his thoughts and he rushes to hug her close. She returns the embrace, gripping at the leather suit clinging to his back.

Chat held her close and slowly led her to the bed, gently laying them down so that Chat was on his back and Marinette was laying on top of him.

He looked down at her. Her face was buried into his chest but he had noticed before that Marinette doesn't cry. No matter how much tears gather in her eyes or how much she sobs her heart out, the tears never leave her eyes and trail down her cheeks. Plus, this was the first time he had seen her cry in front of him. Sure, there was earlier with him as Adrien, but she wasn't alone with him and recieving hugs from Alya and Nino, nor was she crying this hard.

Chat shook his thoughts away and focused on Marinette as her sobs seemed to slow down and small sniffles were heard. He continued to listen to her as she gradually calmed down and her breathing deepened.

He tried taking a peek at her face and noticed that Marinette had fallen asleep while crying. Chat felt a pang in his chest at the thought of it and held her tighter in his arms.

Chat buried his face into her hair, enjoying the smell of freshly baked bread and clear spring water. Even though she's grieving and going through a tough time, she can still manage to smell so good..

Chat moved his head away and stared up at the ceiling, thinking about what he should do now. He had to get home before it got too late but he didn't want to leave Marinette alone. 

Eventually he decided to have Marinette as his main priority, pulling up one of her blankets so it covered her exposed back completely. He closed his eyes and soon fell asleep to the feeling of Marinette's warm body on top of his.

-

The next morning, Chat Noir slowly woke up to an unknown ceiling before his mind lazily concluded that it was actually Marinette's ceiling. He looks down at the comfortable weight of Marinette's body still on top of him, seeing that they're still in the same position as when they fell asleep aside from the kicked blanket and Chat's hands having wandered around as he slept.

Chat yawns as he gently moves Marinette off of him, trying not to wake her up. After he managed to slip out from underneath her, he put her in a comfortable position and pulled the blanket over her again.

Before Chat Noir left Marinette's room, he wrote down a note for Marinette and gave her forehead a kiss, which ended up with a blushing cat.

He shook his head furiously before quietly making his way out through the trap door and jumping over rooftops back to his mansion.

-

Marinette woke up to her alarm, groaning as she hit the snooze button. She slowly sat up on her bed, her body feeling a bit cold except for her forehead.

_This was the first night without having that nightmare... Why..?_

Marinette thought as hard as she could, the only conclusion being that she slept with Chat Noir. She felt her cheeks flush slightly at the thought.

She ignored her slowly racing heart as she began to get ready for another day of school, no matter how much her droopy eyes and dark eye bags protested for her to continue sleeping. 

She called out for Tikki as the kwami flew into her purse and went downstairs to leave for school. 

After arriving at school, Marinette looked down at the floor as she walked to class. She can hear all the students whisper and talk about what happened to her. She tried to block out the voices and entered her classroom. 

Marinette was immediately tackled into a hug by Alya, making her yelp and stumble as she nearly lost her balance. 

Alya let her go and walked with Marinette to their seat. Adrien and Nino turned around to check on the unusually quiet Marinette with worry.

"How are you doing, Marinette?"

"Are you feeling alright, dudette?"

Marinette slowly looked up to the two boys. Both of their breathes hitched when they looked into her dark, mourning and cloudy blue eyes. She closed her eyes and shook her head slowly to show she wasn't fine.

She put her head on her desk, making the three best friends look at each other worriedly.

-

After the school day was over, the four best friends walked home with Marinette again. Once she waved them off at the front of the bakery, Marinette walked inside to be greeted by her father.

Marinette gave Tom a long, heartfelt hug before eventually letting go and looking up at him with a small smile.

"Do you want to go ahead and bake together?"

~To Be Continued 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Words : 1109  
> Published (Wattpad): 4-24-19  
> Published (AO3) : 7-26-20
> 
> New chapter update will once again be tmr, hopefully not exactly at midnight my time
> 
> Not that it really matters, I'm nocturnal and stay up till sunrise


	6. The Treatment After The Storm

After the much needed father-daughter bonding afternoon, Marinette returned back to her room for the night.

She walked through her door and sat down on her bed, Tikki flying out in front of her.

"You seem happier," Tikki tried pointing out gently.

"Yeah.. Getting into a baking marathon with my dad made me feel a bit better. Of course, there were plenty of moments where it was obviously clear that my mom is gone, but it was fun and refreshing all the same."

Tikki nods and flies over to rest on Marinette's shoulder.

Marinette looks to the clock and notices the time. "We should probably head out for patrol..."

"You know Marinette, you can always take a break with your responsibilities, you just lost your mom..." Tikki explains quietly with sadness in her tone.

"No, I can't do that to Chat Noir.. I've already skipped a whole week without letting him know anything that was going on. I only just saw him yesterday after my absence, I can't suddenly abandon him again after seeing him once." She shakes her head at the thought of skipping out on Chat Noir again without any kind of explanation.

Tikki simply nods and flies back out in front of her holder's face, "Just say the words."

"Tikki, spots on."

-

Ladybug arrived at the Eiffel Tower, seeing Chat Noir already there and looking out over the city of Paris. She walked up to him and stood by his side, looking out at the beautiful nighttime Paris.

Chat turned to look at her, having known of her presence since hearing the soft thump of her landing. He takes close look at her and sees that she seems much happier compared to when he saw her last. He smiles at thought of his Lady feeling better and returns his gaze to the city below him.

"As much as I enjoy this quiet moment, we should probably start patrol now." Ladybug suddenly spoke up, breaking the comfortable silence that they shared.

"Do we have to, M'Lady?" Chat whines as his cat ears droop.

Ladybug can't help a small smile appearing on her face at Chat. "Sorry Kitty, but Paris needs us to do patrol right now."

After she says that, Ladybug jumps off the railing and swings around Paris using her yo-yo.

Chat whines again and pouts before following suite using his baton.

-

After patrol was all done and over with for the night, Ladybug and Chat Noir sat together on the Eiffel Tower, enjoying the silent calm.

Neither spoke for awhile, not wanting to spoil the mood, but eventually Ladybug spoke up.

"I really don't want to ruin this moment again but I think it's about time I leave. I don't want to worry my dad when he notices I'm gone, not after..." Ladybug looks down with an unreadable expression, making Chat turn his head to her to show he's listening and curious about her unfinished sentence. "Nevermind, I just have to go now."

Ladybug stands up and Chat Noir follows her up, nodding in understanding.

"I understand M'Lady. I better get going as well before I get into trouble by my father." He says a bit solemnly as he gets his baton ready.

Before he was able to head home, Ladybug embraced him in a gentle and short hug before leaving him alone in shock.

Ladybug jumped onto her balcony and went inside her room before detransforming.

Marinette walked towards her mannequin that held her funeral dress. She stared at it for a moment before she took it off and put it in her work area. She did a few finishing details to the dress for a few minutes before she heard a knock at her window.

Knowing who was on her balcony, she stood up and opened the trapdoor to be met with bright green eyes full of concern.

Marinette stepped aside to let him in, which he gratefully accepted.

Chat jumped inside and briefly looked around her room before his eyes landed on a black dress that looked like it was being close to finished, if it wasn't already. He looked back to Marinette to see that her complexion hasn't really improved since the last time he saw her as Adrien.

"Are you doing alright princess?" Chat asks carefully as he gently cups Marinette's cheeks in his hands to take a closer look at her face. Her face flushes a light pink when he does this and she looks down to avoid his gaze.

Chat took the opportunity to look her over. He noticed the dark eye bags under her slightly droopy eyes, her unusually pale complexion, her dark and cloudy eyes filled with grief and pain, and her unnaturally small and cold demeanor.

"Princess?" Chat tried again when he got no answer. He was surprised to see tears on the verge of falling when she finally looked up at him. _Oh, Marinette..._

Without thinking, Chat let go of her face and wrapped his arms around her frail looking body in a gentle yet protective embrace.

Marinette sobbed quietly into his chest and hugs him back just as gently. Her tears once again don't leave her eyes, unless they accidentally brush against Chat Noir's suit.

"Shh, it's alright Marinette... It's going to be alright... you just have to be patient and everything will feel better soon... I promise..." Chat cooed at her gently in a soothing voice as he tried to calm her down.

Marinette continued to cry, her sobs becoming louder and she lets out some quiet but long high pitched squeals as she contains her screams of anguish and frustration.

Chat cringed slightly at the sound, feeling his heart break and shatter as he watched one of his best friends completely break down. He holds her tighter in his arms and brings her body closer to his, gently kissing the top of Marinette's head.

After a little bit, Marinette calmed down. Chat heard her sniffle a few times but didn't dare to let go of the hug. You never know how much someone might need a hug so he hates letting go first.

Eventually Marinette slowly began to move away from Chat Noir and the hug, Chat Noir not complaining about her actions and letting her go. She sniffled and rubbed her eyes before wiping off the tear stains on Chat's suit.

Chat didn't protest, knowing that she wouldn't listen or back off. Once she was done cleaning his suit, Chat gave her a grateful smile which she returned with a small one.

His smile dropped a tiny bit before saying, "I'm sorry, princess.. I have to go..." He looks down with a sad expression, his ears drooping, "My father wants me to do something that I can't get out of. If I could, I would stay here with you for as long as you want and cuddle until you feel better..."

Marinette gives him a genuine smile at that and whispers out, "It's fine..."

Chat's heart melts at the small and genuine smile and her sweet and quiet voice. He gives her a smile back and quickly pecks her forehead before heading towards the trapdoor to her balcony.

"I'll check up on you soon, princess." He says before jumping back to his mansion.

Marinette blushes slightly and quickly feels alone again. She sat down on her bed and rubbed her forehead gently where Chat Noir had kissed, trying to think of him to battle her unsettling loneliness.

She groaned quietly and suddenly has a thought she wishes she hadn't had. Her body abruptly gets off the bed and goes into her bathroom, searching through the cabinets for a specific item.

When Marinette found what she was looking for, she stood in front of her sink and mirror, eyeing at the object in her hands.

Marinette takes in a deep breath and places the small pocket knife to her wrist, debating for a few seconds before pressing down.

~To Be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Words : 1331  
> Published (Wattpad) : 5-1-19  
> Published (AO3) : 7-28-20
> 
> So sorry I didnt update yesterday. Totally forgot  
> Was too busy reading a good FMA story on here and dealing with my family shenanigans 
> 
> Hope you enjoy the chapter and story so far


	7. The Trauma After The Storm - Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new akuma appears that causes trouble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the cliffhanger at the end of this chapter beforehand

"-ette? -inette? -arinette. Come on, you need to get up or you'll be late for school." Marinette groggily opened her eyes at the muffled voice calling for her. She was subconsciously grateful her nightmare was interrupted as she let out a small groan, looking for the source of the voice.

Tom soon came into view, his dark eye bags and tired expression popping out the most to Marinette. She instinctively brought her arm closer to her body as she slowly got up from where she apparently had passed out on her chaise.

Marinette leaned on her father a bit as an attempt of a sleepy hug and lazily kissed his cheek. He gave her a very small, amused smile before leaving her room to let her change and get ready.

Marinette yawned as she absentmindedly moved around her room, mostly going off on muscle memory at this point.

Tikki soon came out of her hiding spot and watched the girl move around almost like a lifeless zombie.

Once Marinette was ready, she went out of her room, Tikki quickly flying into her purse, and gave her dad another kiss on the cheek before heading off to school.

All of the bright light and walking eventually woke Marinette up as she stared at the sky. It looks like it's going to rain again sometime soon, judging by the smell in the air and how dark those approaching clouds look.

"Marinette!"

Marinette looked back down to see she's in front of the school as Alya quickly approached her.

Alya soon stuck onto Marinette's arm, luckily not the one where she had cut, and they walked into school together, Alya keeping people who tried to approach them at bay.

Marinette smiled slightly in amusement at her best friend's overprotectiveness before speaking, "You know, sooner or later Nino will start to get jealous at how you're stuck onto me more than him."

Alya looked at Marinette in slight shock before giving her a big smile. "Well Mari, just so you know, Nino won't get jealous cause he trusts me and because he dotes on you as well. Of course, not as much as me, your best friend."

Marinette couldn't hold in her giggles as she watched Alya proudly point a thumb at herself with a large grin plastered on her face.

"Plus, who wouldn't be worried or want to comfort their best friend after what happened..." Alya mumbles as she rested her cheek on Marinette's shoulder.

Marinette couldn't help but look at her friend in empathy as she gently pets her head with her unoccupied hand.

The two girls jump when a loud clap of thunder suddenly came from nowhere, making the two besties look up to the skies to see it had completely darkened with clouds.

They looked at each other as they heard a few more thunder claps accompanied by white flashes of lightning. They eventually watch the sky start to pour and listened as a different kind of boom filled the sky.

Marinette's senses perked up at the new sound and paid close attention to the sound. Soon enough, she heard the same unknown 'boom' and the faint sound of people screaming.

She quickly stood up from where her and Alya had sat down on the stairs inside the school, her eyes wide. "An akuma!"

Alya stared at her dumbfounded as to how she knew there was an akuma attack, the outburst causing some students, including Adrien, to turn their heads and whisper things. Alya stood up and rushed out of the school to film Ladybug and Chat Noir for her Ladyblog.

Marinette ran into the bathroom, getting a few odd looks. Tikki flew out in front of Marinette, seeing the poor girl begin to hyperventilate.

"Calm down Marinette, it's going to be alright. Just take deep breaths," Tikki tells her holder as she gently brushes her cheek.

Marinette follows Tikki's orders and calms her breathing down rather quickly before speaking, "Oh, why now of all times... I wish Hawkmoth would continue his break. I'm not mentally ready to be Ladybug yet!"

"That's not true Marinette. I know you're ready to take on this akuma. Plus, you won't be doing it alone, you have Chat Noir with you!" Tikki reasons in a cheerful tone as she throws her little hands in the air.

Marinette chuckles a bit at her kwami's actions and nods. "Thanks Tikki. I couldn't have asked for a better friend. Tikki, spots on!"

-

Ladybug soon arrived at the scene just as Alya did, Ladybug being faster in the suit and having caught up to Alya when she had a head start.

Chat Noir was already there fighting the akuma as he spouted annoying cat puns one after the other. The akuma didn't seem to be affected by them though. That's a first.

Ladybug soon rushed into the fight, Chat Noir greeting her flirtatiously. The akuma halted her attacks as she watched the two heroes cautiously.

"So what took you so long, M'Lady?" Chat asks curiously while looking at Ladybug.

"I just had to get a pep talk from my kwami, nothing much." Ladybug stated as she watched the akuma.

Chat Noir looked a bit dumbfounded that Ladybug needed a pep talk but otherwise stayed quiet and returned his attention to the akuma.

"So, any information about her?"

"Not much, M'Lady. She hasn't used whatever power she had recieved since I got here, has no weapons, and she's quite strong in hand to hand combat. But I swear I've seen some sparks or something fly off of her anytime she blocked my baton."

Ladybug nods understandingly as she looks around the akuma's outfit for the akumatized object.

The akuma didn't give her much time to search as she was soon surrounded by blueish-white streaks of lightning that crackled and popped.

Ladybug and Chat Noir instinctively step back in shock, watching as the akuma slowly raised her hand.

Their flight senses immediately blared alarms as they ran from their current positions, not having any time to process the multitude of lightning bolts leaving her hand and attacking the ground where they had been standing not even a second ago.

They skid to a stop just as a loud boom echoed throughout their ears and stared dumbfounded and fearfully at the crater-like ground. At least now they know how the buildings were destroyed and what the different sounding thunder clap from before was.

Ladybug feels her body fill with dread as she watches the lightning surrounding the akuma grow outwards, hitting any nearby buildings or cars, sometimes just creating small cracks or mini craters in the ground. It reminded her too much of the nightmare with her mom.

Chat Noir makes her snap out of it when he crashes his body into hers, barely dodging another lightning strike - though their ears weren't so lucky thanks to the thunder.

Ladybug tried to shake the sharp ringing out of her ears to no luck, before looking up. She dodged another lightning strike in the nick of time, feeling a few of the free flowing sparks tingle and numb her skin.

Chat Noir took this chance to run towards the akuma, hands out to grab her. He caught her by surprise but soon regretted it as he screamed out in pain from the lightning coursing through his body.

Ladybug yelled out to him as she watched his body hit the flooded floor, twitching with sparks flying off of him.

She stood still as fear coursed her body, making her unbelievably cold - which the rain had nothing to do with. She saw Chat slowly regaining consciousness and glance at her with fear in his expression. Ladybug didn't understand why until she looked in front of her, seeing the akuma a mere few inches from where she stood.

Ladybug faintly thought that the teenager in front of her was tall before feeling excruciatingly painful electricity shoot throughout her body, only hearing the sounds of her own strangled scream and Chat shouting her name before completely blacking out.

~To Be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Words : 1428  
> Published : 5-8-19
> 
> Hope you enjoyed the chapter and story, as I try to figure out how to add a pic of my akuma oc


	8. The Trauma After The Storm - Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The tense akuma battle draws to a bloody close

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder that during the events of last chapter and this one, that it is currently raining throughout the battle, I just forgot about that little detail while writing and typing everything up, and just seemed like an insignificant background detail that I determined didnt need to be fixed

Chat Noir laid there in shock as he watched Ladybug's body almost lifelessly fall to the floor, the akuma standing above her. He felt fear rush through his body when he saw the akuma leaning down to grab Ladybug's Miraculous.

Chat tried to move his body to stop her but soon realized his body couldn't move much due to the numbness. So he went with the next best thing. He moved his hand to his baton and carefully aimed it before making it extend.

He managed to knock the akuma off of Ladybug with a hard hit to her stomach and slowly managed to regain enough senses and strength to get up and attack.

The akuma saw the attack a moment too late and soon gets tackled by Chat Noir. She looks up at his vengeful, piercing green eyes and distressed expression. She gulped a bit fearfully before Chat spoke.

"What did you do to Ladybug?" He growled lowly as he pinned her hands to the sides of her head when she tried struggling. "Who are you and what did you do to Ladybug?" He growled louder as she smirks.

"I'm Thunderer. And as you saw earlier, I just shocked her. Don't worry, I didn't shock her too much compared to you, just a few thousand watts extra."

Chat was about to swipe at her with his claws but was stopped short when he saw lightning surround her again and felt it course through his body. Although weaker this time, he still yells out in pain and gets pushed off of her.

Thunderer stands up, brushing off the dirt from her outfit. She heard a small gasp and turned to see Alya, who was filming everything while witnessing the nearing defeat of Ladybug and Chat Noir. Alya had also tried to drag Ladybug away but had been shocked when she tried touching her, which had made her let out a gasp.

Alya froze when she could see that Thunderer was staring at her, lightning desperately wanting to leave her body to attack. She flinched when Thunderer raised her lightning covered hand towards her.

Alya dropped her phone and stood in front of Ladybug just as lightning rushed out of Thunderer's hand towards the two helpless girls. But right before the lightning made contact, a blur of black quickly moved in front of Alya, taking the brunt of the hit.

Alya's phone on the other hand, captured the whole thing.

-

_"What's... going on?" Ladybug mumbled to herself as she came to. She painfully sat up, wincing at her injuries._

_She touched her exposed face and neck, feeling terrifyingly painful burn marks. She tried looking around and saw she was in an unknown house._

_Ladybug noticed that it was raining outside accompanied by thunder and lightning. She saw a trembling, giant lump under several thick blankets on a couch._

_When Ladybug walked closer, she heard faint whimpering and sniffles. The teenager peeked her head out of the blankets but quickly retreats with a yelp after another thundering boom resounded through the skies._

_Ladybug was barely able to make out short and messy light brown hair with dyed blue bangs and terrified light green eyes. She tried to gently touch the trembling bundle but was soon distracted by a black and purple butterfly flying in through the closed window._

_Ladybug tried to shout and warn the person under the blanket but no sound came out of her mouth. The person, a teenage girl possibly in her senior year of high school, soon peered out slowly at the sound of the small flaps. She was clutching a lightning bolt shaped necklace, which the akuma soon landed on._

_Ladybug felt helpless as she watched and somehow listened to the teen talk to Hawkmoth._

_"Hello Thunderer, I am Hawkmoth. I can make it so you will no longer be afraid of lightning, but rather control it at will. All you have to do is shock Ladybug and Chat Noir into submission and get me their Miraculous. Do we have a deal?"_

_The teen looked up with anger and delight in her eyes, "It's a deal Hawkmoth. I guess there's going to be a shocking new villain in town~"_

_Ladybug watched in shock as the teen stood up, the blanket dropping off her shoulders to the floor, dark purple and black bubble matter surrounding her entire body._

_The akuma that Ladybug and Chat Noir were fighting earlier stood before her in place of the scared teen._

_Thunderer looked directly at Ladybug, making her stiffen with fear before everything goes dark once again._

-

When Ladybug regained consciousness, she immediately knew her body felt like lead. She tried opening her heavy eyes as she regained any kind of feeling in her body.

Ladybug's eyes slowly fluttered open and she felt like her heart dropped when she saw Alya kneeling and crying over a severely burned Chat. Alya was desperately calling out to him and shaking his body, clearly ignoring any shocks of electricity being sent to her hands.

Ladybug was able to gather enough adrenaline and fear, using the new burst of energy to quickly regain feeling in all of her limbs. She hurriedly got up off of the rain soaked concrete floor and rushed the few feet to Chat Noir, desperately checking him over.

Alya let out a short, surprised scream and Ladybug quickly turned her head. Thunderer was standing right beside Alya, her eyes cold as she stared down at the three.

Ladybug quickly got up and spun her yo-yo defensively in front of herself as she a protected the other two from harm. "I hope you're not thinking that you'll be getting away with this, Thunderer."

Thunderer stared at Ladybug with hatred, Ladybug returning the same look without restraint. She then called out for her Lucky Charm to help her out.

A bag fell into her hands, the inside containing a whole rain proof outfit with a rubber rain coat, gloves, and boots. She quickly took out the rain coat and boots, handing them to Alya.

"Hurry, put the coat on Chat and you wear the boots so you don't get shocked." She orders as she puts on the gloves herself. Alya immediately does as she's told, the boots and coat making squishing noises on the wet ground and becoming slippery from the pouring rain.

Thunderer raises an eyebrow before she suddenly gets the idea, her eyes widening in realization.

Ladybug smirks at her reaction and runs towards her, despite her painful and aching body's protest, her gloved hands out in front of her making Thunderer back away and shoot out more lightning.

Ladybug quickly counteracts the lightning with her hands, the lightning soon deflecting off of the rubber to a different direction.

Thunderer looked shocked but kept dodging Ladybug's attempts to grab her and sent out more lightning towards her, only to be deflected everytime, a few times a little too close to Alya and Chat Noir.

_If I could just grab her necklace..._

She tried to reach out for the necklace again, failing once again when Thunderer dodges. Ladybug silently cursed under her breath and eventually managed to trip Thunderer with her yo-yo string, grabbing the necklace in her hand when she fell.

Ladybug turned to break the necklace by throwing it to the ground, but gets a surprise attack from behind before she does, lightning shocking her throughout her body.

She screamed out in pain, eyes squeezing shut and arm still in the air above her head with the necklace tightly clutched inside. She managed to squint her eyes open through the pain and threw the necklace to the ground, breaking it.

"NO!" Thunderer yelled out for the first time this entire battle, the electricity immediately stopping and giving Ladybug a chance to breathe.

Ladybug shakily grabs her yo-yo and opens it, capturing the akuma on unsteady legs and letting go of the purified butterfly. She panted heavily as her legs were about to give out, quickly throwing her gloves, raincoat, and gloves - after Alya had given them back to her - into the air.

"M-Miraculous L-Ladybug..!" She called out weakly, numerous magical ladybugs fixing all of the damage and returning the teen to normal. She panted heavily as her Miraculous beeped for the third time, signaling she had two minutes left.

Ladybug glanced at Chat Noir still on the floor and noticed his injuries seemed mostly gone with a few small burn marks here and there visible on his suit. She stumbled over to him and picked him up bridle style, hissing at the pain of her burns that sadly didn't go away like with Chat.

She looked at a worried looking Alya who had her phone clutched to her chest, most likely still recording. "Thanks a lot for your help, Alya. Take care of the girl for me please."

Ladybug soon leaves a shocked but ecstatic Alya and jumps over rooftops. Since Chat Noir hadn't used his Cataclysm, she didn't need to worry about him turning back.

She decided to leave Chat on a rooftop right next to the hospital in case he needed any medical attention for his burns when he wakes up. She jumped down into the alley right next to the building Chat was on just as her Miraculous let out a final beep, making her detransform.

Marinette soon stumbled into the hospital completely soaked and burned, getting everyone's attention. The doctors quickly rushed over to her after seeing the terrible, bloody burns all over her body.

Marinette soon passed out from the pain and exhaustion, the last thing she remembered was being rushed into an emergency room.

~To Be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Words : 1617  
> Published (Wattpad) : 5-15-19  
> Published (AO3) : 7-30-20
> 
> So I've decided on an update schedule for this story.   
> Anytime I get ready to head off to bed, which depending on my mood and boredness, is 2am to 8am, I will post a chapter
> 
> Also, a little tiny note that includes Hawkmoth's little endgame speech at the end of every failed akuma, since I never did find a way to integrate it into the chapter
> 
> -Meanwhile, somewhere in the Agreste mansion (cause we all know who Hawkmoth is so why bother) - 
> 
> "NO! Just you wait, Ladybug and Chat Noir, for I will one day soon have an electrifying plan to get your Miraculous. I will not give up!"


	9. The Recovery After The Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette wakes up in the hospital and gets a friendly visit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I still havent found out how to add my drawing of Thunderer into the chapters....  
> Which brings me to the question...
> 
> How am I gonna post the pic of Marinette's outfits in later chapters.... (the funeral dress and something spoiler that really isnt)

Bright light attacked Marinette's eyes as she struggled to open them, groaning at the slight pain in her body. She looks around the white room, remembering the events before she had blacked out.

Marinette looked down at herself to see a thin hospital blanket half covering her and bandages wrapped around the exposed parts of her body where she assumed is where the burn marks are. She winced when she tried lifting her hand up to her face and neck, feeling the bandage around her neck and large gauze pads taped onto her left cheek and forehead.

She sighed as she dropped her arm, accidentally yelping out in pain when it landed on the underside of her arm. She gently held her left arm and rubbed it soothingly, just now remembering about the cuts she had made.

A door silently swung open and Marinette turned her head to see who came in. A woman in her late 20s and in a white coat stepped in with a clipboard in her hand.

"You're awake, good. Marinette, is it? I'm Dr. Sara Goodman but you can call me whatever you feel most comfortable with." Dr. Goodman tells her as she closes the door behind her and walks over to Marinette's bed.

Marinette nodded and lets out a hoarse "hello," much to Marinette's distaste at her awful voice.

Dr. Goodman smiled and continued, "Are you feeling well enough to know about your current state or answer a few questions for me?"

This doctor was very nice, Marinette liked her.

Marinette nods and replies, voice still a little hoarse, "I can answer any questions after I know what's wrong, if you don't mind."

Dr. Goodman gave a soft, happy smile at her thoughtfulness before became a little grim when she thought about Marinette's injuries. "Well... You've suffered from numerous and severe 2nd and 3rd degree burns all over your body, which most might even scar over even with proper treatment, multiple bruises from an unknown blunt force, a bit of a hearing impairment due to prolonged exposure to a loud source, possible nerve damage in certain areas of your body, and a few cuts that come out of the burns on your left arm. I'm not sure where they came from though..."

Marinette stiffened a bit when she mentioned the cuts on her arm but calmed down a little when the doctor said she didn't know what was the cause. The relief was short lived when Dr. Goodman started to ask questions.

"As much as I'm glad that you're taking the news about your health extremely well, I still have to ask, how did you get those injuries in the first place?"

The question took her slightly by surprise before she told half of the truth, "There was an akuma who could control lightning and I may have gotten a few shocks in the crossfire..." Marinette was a bit fidgety as she looked away from the flabbergasted doctor in false embarrassment.

Dr. Goodman suddenly remembered about her clipboard and quickly wrote something down before she looked back up again. "And, um, why were you at the scene of the akuma attack in the first place?"

Marinette immediately thought about Alya and spat out the first lie she could think of, which ended up in a half truth as well, "Well I was at school with my best friend, Alya. I heard loud commotion and screams and I knew there was an akuma attack so I ran to, uh, go tell a teacher about it. When I got back to my spot from earlier, Alya was gone. See, she's the creator and the one who updates the Ladyblog, so I assumed she left to go to the akuma and film the battle."

Marinette took a deep breath from telling so much, her throat throbbing slightly from the wounds. Dr. Goodman just nodded patiently before Marinette continued.

"I ran to the akuma sight and couldn't find her, I thought maybe I took a shortcut and beat her there or that she was hiding behind some bushes or a building. Ladybug and Chat Noir were fighting the akuma named Thunderer and were close to losing. It was raining pretty hard so sometimes I would feel a few small shocks of electricity that travelled through the wet ground and then, a stray lightning attack coming off of Thunderer's body came at me and I blacked out. When I came to maybe a few minutes after, the battle was over and I stumbled to the nearest hospital after I saw the state my wounds were in and here I am now."

Marinette took in a larger breath at the end, her neck feeling like it would burst from how much she talked and disturbed her injuries, a faint throbbing also starting from a burn on her chest now.

The doctor quickly wrote down the new information down as she seemed to be silently brooding the info herself. After about a minute of scribbling everything down she looked back up to Marinette.

"Do you have an idea as to how you got those cuts on your arm at all?" She asked, once again shocking Marinette.

_Quick, think of a lie!_ "M-maybe I accidentally cut it against some bushes or sharp rocks when I fell..? I'm not too sure either..."

Dr. Goodman looked at Marinette like she wasn't sure whether to trust her or not, but didn't pry or try to get a different answer.

"Um.. Dr. Goodman..? I have a question." Marinette asked shyly as she took a glance at the doctor who tilted her head. "How long have I been out?"

Dr. Goodman looked at the papers on her clipboard before answering, "You've been here for about two days now. Today will be your third day here at the hospital."

Marinette nods and tries to sit up a bit, cringing at the slight numbness in her body and small jolts of pain from her burns.

The doctor helped her sit up and politely excused herself after making sure that Marinette was okay.

Marinette sighed and stared up at the ceiling. She got bored after a few minutes and turned her head to take a closer look at the room, noticing some machines connected to her heart and vitals to her right and her phone on a small bedside table to her left.

She quickly reached for her phone and turned it on after fiddling with it with her half numb fingers - she assumed it was either the meds or the nerve damage that the doctor mentioned. It finally turned on after a few moments and she saw a few missed calls and messages from two days ago. She quickly clicked on Alya and her dad's contacts, sending them a message that she's awake and fine.

Marinette sighed again and dropped her phone onto her lap before she suddenly gasped in realization.

"Tikki? Tikki! Where are you?!" Marinette whisper-yelled to not get any attention from someone passing by her room. She felt her ears when she didn't get a response, only to feel that her earrings were gone.

Marinette started to hyperventilate a bit from her growing anxiety attack. _No... I can't lose her... I can't lose her like mom..! She means too much to me! Please I don't want to lose her!_

Doctors and nurses soon rushed into the room when they noticed her vitals and heartrate going crazy and tried to calm Marinette down. They eventually had to give her anaesthesia to help calm her and make her sleep.

-

Marinette slowly opened her eyes and groaned softly as she rubbed her forehead. The fuzziness surrounding her brain cleared up a bit and Marinette sprang up on the hospital bed.

Marinette coughed and wheezed at the sudden movement when it disturbed her burns and caused pain to sprout in her chest.

She calms down and searches for her phone, finding it on the same bedside table as before. She grabs it just as the door to her hospital room opens abruptly, surprising her.

Marinette looked towards the door to see her dad, Alya, Nino, and Adrien. They all looked terrible like they hadn't had enough sleep for the past two days, which made Marinette feel bad.

They all rushed forward looking extremely relieved that Marinette was awake. Tom reached out and hugged her tightly before anyone else got the chance to do so.

Marinette's face scrunched up at the pain blaring through her body from Tom pressing too hard against her wounds but ignored it. She saw Alya about to say something, most likely about Marinette's pained face, but Marinette shuts her up with a small glare and returns her father's embrace.

Tom eventually let go after remembering that there were other people also wanting to know she's okay. Marinette lets out a quiet sigh of relief when the overwhelming pressure on her wounds left.

Alya was quick to hug her best friend next, not as tight as Tom's embrace but enough to disturb Marinette's wounds just a bit and make them uncomfortable.

She let go surprisingly quicker than expected, giving Nino the chance to walk up to Marinette next. He held out his fist to her for a fist bump.

Marinette looked down at her hands and saw her right hand covered in bandages while her left wasn't. Assuming that her right hand had painful burns on it, she used her left hand to complete Nino's fistbump, a small smile tugging at her lips.

Adrien soon walked up to the bed and sat down on the edge by her feet, the other three taking their seats in chairs on either side of the bed.

Marinette noticed the few bandaids here and there and the guilty expression on Adrien's face, which didn't make much sense to her.

She soon forgot about it as they all started to talk for the rest of the day until visiting hours were over.

~To Be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Words : 1667  
> Published (Wattpad) : 5-22-19  
> Published (AO3) : 7-31-20
> 
> Ok so, when I first wrote and published this chapter, I totally forgot that lightning burns existed and appeared in what looks like intricate branches (forgot what the german name for it was atm) and just made the burns out to be like fire burns.
> 
> But! I have a good last minute bullshit logic that can probably explain this-
> 
> So the suits can protect the chosen holders from damage, yes? Well I try and make this out to be actual danger and not just a kids cartoon where they wont allow blood or even the slightest sign of a bruise. So people, namely Mari and Adrien and their personas, WILL get injured.  
> The suits can protect LB and CN from outside attacks, but lightning isn't exactly gonna touch skin and bounce off, it's an internal attack. The suits can deflect most of the lightning, given that it covers literally every part of their bodies except for their faces, but just the high amount of heat and temperature and what little does get past the suits through the openings, is what causes the burns to look like regular burns rather than the usual beautiful lightning burns/scars.   
> I might decide to add it later now that I remembered since I havent gone into detail how the scars/burns look like just yet, but it depends on when and where I'll be able to fit it in if I can in the first place.
> 
> But yea that's the explanation for the burns. 
> 
> But if you ask me why I didnt heal Ladybug at all or completely get rid of Chat's injuries with the Lucky Charm, dont ask cause I dont even know why I did that. Just for plot I guess. Just assume that the magic ladybugs can't heal injuries to a certain extent or something. Sorry bout that
> 
> See ya tmr morning (for me)


	10. Chat Noir After The Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien wakes up after the akuma battle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place before the last one, where it becomes clear what happened and went on with Chat/Adrien after the battle with Thunderer

Chat Noir stirred slightly as he tried to pry his eyes open, his body aching when he moved. He managed to open his eyes and blinked away the blurriness as he looked around.

Chat saw the hospital sign near him and he noticed he was on a rooftop. He slowly sat up and groaned at the slight, throbbing pain in his body, checking out the inside of the hospital as much as he can from the roof. He noticed a few doctors and nurses rushing around to see same direction on one of the floors.

He shakily stood up and detransformed to view his injuries and feed Plagg his cheese. Plagg landed exhaustedly onto Adrien's outstretched hand while groaning.

"Are you okay Plagg? You weren't hurt during the battle, were you?" Adrien asks his kwami in concern, his voice a bit hoarse from his pained screams earlier.

"I-I'm fine... Just extremely exhausted..." Plagg groans as he rolls onto his side. "Can I have my Camembert please?"

Adrien looked slightly shocked at his kwami's sudden manners but complies, giving him his cheese. Plagg ate it gratefully and slowly, starting to feel a bit better.

"Do you know why I'm on a roof next to the hospital? What happened to Ladybug and the akuma?" Adrien asks as he sat down. He gently moved Plagg to his shoulder to continue eating his cheese before wincing. He moved Plagg to his other shoulder, checking his injured one to see a small burn there.

"I'm not sure... I can only guess that she managed to purify the akuma and bring you here for your injuries." Plagg explains slowly as he finishes his cheese. He sighs and falls back onto Adrien's shoulder. "That akuma took a lot out of me..."

"I can see that, you didn't swallow your cheese whole. But it would make sense, we've been shocked by lightning several times." Adrien sighs as he starts lifting his shirt and sleeves to check for other burns.

He finds a few small burns here and there on his body and arms, along with some light bruises. He fixes his shirt and lets out another sigh.

"Do you think these burns are treatable on my own or should I go into that hospital?"

"Not sure kid. I think it's a good idea to go in but you're going to need a good excuse. Most of them looked like treatable first degree burns. You got lucky kid, that's for sure." Plagg says from Adrien's shoulder.

Adrien nods and stands up. "Do you think you can transform me or do you need more cheese? You look really drained."

"I'm fine kid, assuming it's only to get off of this roof."

Adrien nodded at his kwami and guiltily pets his head before saying, "Plagg, claws out."

He transforms into Chat Noir and walked to the edge of the roof, extending his baton to the floor below. He slid down the makeshift pole, not wanting to jump down and accidentally agitate his wounds.

Once he touched the ground, he whispered, "Plagg, claws in." He detransformed and held his kwami in his hands. "Here, get your strength up okay?" Adrien hands his kwami another piece of cheese as he gently puts him away into his jacket.

There's a mumbled 'thanks' from his shirt and Adrien smiles. He starts to head back towards the school as quickly as he could.

-

The walk back was short, only a little over 5 minutes, but Adrien kept getting the urge to turn back around and head to the hospital. He ignored it and soon walked up the front steps to the school to see people eating their lunches.

Adrien looked around for Alya and Nino, spotting them sitting alone at a table near the back. They both looked a bit distressed, Alya more so.

He walked up to them, making them both snap their heads up when he got their attention. They quickly got up and rushed over to him.

"Dude, where have you been? I was worried sick!" Nino questions as he puts a hand on Adrien's injured shoulder. He winced slightly at the unexpected pressure, accidentally catching Nino's attention.

Nino was about to ask about it before Alya interrupts him, "Adrien, have you seen Marinette by any chance? She disappeared by the time I got back from the akuma attack and no one's seen her at all."

Adrien looked at Alya with slightly wide eyes, watching as tears gathered in her eyes. He suddenly felt a tug at his stomach as he remembered the hospital.

"I think I have a feeling where she might be..."

-

The three best friends rushed their way to the hospital close to the school, Adrien leading the way.

"A-are you sure she's at the hospital?" Alya questions again as tears were on the verge of falling at the thought of her best friend lifeless on a hospital bed.

"I don't know... I've just had this feeling about the hospital." Adrien answers as they finally made their way through the sliding doors. The three walk up to the receptionist desk, completely breathless.

The lady looks up as Alya speaks up, "Has... Has a girl named Marinette Dupain-Cheng been brought in recently today?"

The receptionist looks at them with slight shock and just before she can answer, the sound of the sliding doors catches their attention.

Tom walked in looking distressed and disheveled. He saw his daughter's three best friends and walked up to them. "Do you know anything about Marinette? Is she alright?"

The three shook their heads before the receptionist lady clears her throat, gaining their attention again. "She just got out of surgery a few minutes ago, Mr. Dupain-Cheng I assume?"

Tom nodded his head just as what she said registered in their heads. "Surgery..?!" All four say at once.

The receptionist looks between the group before nodding. "We aren't sure how, but she had recieved major burns across her body and had fainted right after she stumbled into the hospital earlier today. We took her to the emergency room and treated her wounds. She should be alright other than having nasty scars, but we won't know if she had managed to get other internal or nerve damage until she wakes up."

The group was left speechless as they sorted out the information. Tom broke out of his shock first, "Is my daughter alright? Can I go see her?"

"Physically, she should recover given proper rest and treatment, you can even take her home by the end of the week if all goes well. And yes, you can go to see her. I assume you three want to go as well?" She asks as the worried and relieved group of friends quickly nodded their heads. "Very well, her room is number 205 on the fifth floor."

The group quickly give their thanks before rushing off to find the room.

-

They all stood outside of her room, hesitating until Adrien reaches out and opens the door.

Adrien's breath hitched when he saw Marinette's tattered and unconscious body all bandaged up. They quickly rushed in and stood by her bed for a few minutes until they noticed some chairs and sat down.

_I'm so sorry Marinette... I promise to protect you better from now on. No one or thing will ever hurt you again..._

~To Be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Words : 1231  
> Published (Wattpad) : 5-29-19  
> Published (AO3) : 8-1-20
> 
> Slowly getting to the chapter where I'm stuck on. 
> 
> Next chapter is the recovery and announcement of the funeral, and then there will be another major akuma after the funeral.  
> The chapters will also start to get just a teeny bit longer, especially during the akuma chapters
> 
> Have a nice day/night and see you again tmr morning my time


	11. The Release After The Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette reunites with Tikki and is let out of the hospital

The next day after the visit, Marinette woke up with new determination and anxiety.

 _Where are you Tikki..? Are you alright..?_ Marinette sat up in the hospital bed and quickly searched around the room with her eyes, calling out softly.

"Tikki..? Tikki, are you here?" She panicked internally as she gently pressed at her earlobes in between her fingers, which lacked the reassuring weight of her Miraculous. She continued to look around until she saw a control on the bedside desk.

Marinette grabbed the control and checked the buttons, finding the button for calling in a nurse for a nonemergency. She presses the button without a second thought and waited for about a minute until a nurse walked in.

"Do you need anything, miss?" The nurse asked as she stepped up to the bed.

"I just have a question, if you don't mind." Marinette replied politely to the tired looking nurse.

"Of course, what is your question?" The nurse asks, a little more lively from meeting her first polite patient that day.

"Um, do you happen to know where my earrings have went? I don't know where it had went after I regained consciousness yesterday. They're round and small, and the color red." Marinette asks a little anxious to know where Tikki had gone.

The nurse nods and puts a hand to her chin, recalling the object. "You're the patient who came in three days ago with severe burns, correct? Then I assume that the doctors had to take off your earrings during your surgery since there were a few burns near the areas around your ears and to make sure they weren't a type of metal that could affect your operation. I'll go and see if I can retrieve them."

Marinette's nerves calm down considerably hearing the nurse is willing to look for Tikki. She smiles genuinely and thanks her, watching the nurse soon leave to look for the earrings. She lays back against the pillows, relieved but still a bit anxious and worried.

Marinette waited for about 10 minutes before the nurse came back with a small palm sized box.

"Are these the earrings you were looking for?" She asked as she opened the box to show two shiny red earrings.

Marinette lightly touched the earrings and felt its usual magical power, the feeling completely covering her in a sense of security causing her to smile. "It is. Thank you so much." She smiled brightly at the nurse.

The nurse smiled back and left after they said their goodbyes, leaving Marinette with the small box that held her Miraculous. She quickly took out the earrings once she was sure there was no one around. She put the earrings on as a flash of bright pink light illuminated the room.

Tikki appeared floating in front of Marinette with tears in her large eyes. "Marinette!" She flew the small distance to Marinette's uninjured cheek, hugging tightly to whatever soft flesh she can grab at once.

Marinette had tears gathering in her eyes as her hands reach up to gently hug the small kwami back. "Oh Tikki... I'm so sorry that you were alone for so long..."

"N-no... I should be sorry... I didn't want to leave you alone after what happened... I'm sorry I couldn't stop them from taking me away from you, but I couldn't risk anyone knowing..." Tikki cried back as she rubs her face against Marinette's soft cheek.

"Don't worry... I promise I won't let them take you again." Marinette pulls Tikki away from her cheek and holds her in her open palms. She leaned forward to kiss Tikki's small, yet large for her size, forehead gently.

Tikki smiles through her tears and floats up to kiss Marinette's forehead back, earning giggles out of the the both of them.

-

After the kwami and bluenette reunited, Marinette was finally released the following week.

Tikki would hide under the blanket or bed whenever a doctor or visitor came by to Marinette's room. The doctors had tested Marinette out to see if she had any problems doing regular physical activities, like walking and picking things up, or had any impairment with her memory and hearing.

Once she was cleared up with only a slight hearing loss that would most likely recover completely, Marinette was able to leave on a Thursday after a week in the hospital.

Marinette sighed as she walked a bit sluggishly to her home/bakery, Tom, Alya, Nino, and Adrien all surrounding her. She had to admit, it was sort of amusing to see them look like bodyguards with how close they were and constantly looking between her and anything nearby.

They all make it to the bakery in one piece and walk inside. Marinette collapses onto her stomach on the couch, which she immediately regretted given that most of her burns weren't completely healed and the new skin that was growing was still pretty sensitive and prone to be easily irritated.

Marinette slowly started to enjoy the feeling of the couch as the others sat down on any extra couch space or nearby chairs. She was just about to doze off before someone spoke.

"Marinette..." It was Tom who spoke, "You do know what tomorrow is, right..?"

She looks up to him and stares for a few seconds with an unreadable expression, before nodding solemnly. "I.. have everything ready..."

He nods before speaking again, "I made sure to tell your friends and classmates about it... They're all going to attend tomorrow..."

Marinette looks towards the floor and nods again. She slowly sat up and got off the couch. "I'm going to go make sure my dress is completed and fits." She stated quietly before walking towards the stairs and headed up to her room, leaving everyone in the living room to glance at each other worriedly.

Marinette stepped into her room and almost immediately collapses softly onto her knees, trying to avoid hurting her wounds on her legs and thighs. Her heavy breathing soon being accompanied by sobs.

Tikki flew out of her purse and gently cradled her right, uninjured cheek.

"I miss her... Tikki, _I really miss her..!"_ Marinette quietly cried out as she hugged herself and doubled over, her kwami still clinging to her cheek.

"Me too, Marinette... I miss her too..."

They stayed like that for a few minutes before Marinette forced herself to calm down and get up from the floor. She slowly made her way to her dress and checked it over a few times. Once she made sure that the dress was completed, she picked it up and walked into her bathroom to try it on.

When she walked in, Marinette immediately spotted the small pocket knife on her sink counter. She eyed the knife before setting down her dress, reaching out to grab the dangerous object.

Marinette debated within her mind but soon rolled up her sleeve and began taking off her bandages. She angled the point of the knife to her healing, fleshy red burn wound, before closing the distance and dipping the knife into her arm.

~To Be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Words : 1183  
> Published (Wattpad) : 6-19-19  
> Published (AO3) : 8-2-20
> 
> Yeah, uhhhh....  
> Forgive me for making Marinette cut once again but at least I always cut it off at the end of the chapter so theres no detailed self infliction.   
> Just know that this is the second time shes cut on her left arm. And given that she has barely healing lightning burns, shes cutting on already damaged skin sooooo, yea..
> 
> See ya tmr  
> Pls comment on what you think about the story so far


	12. The Funeral After The Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day has finally arrived - Sabine's funeral will soon take place - along with some complications

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This experience is based largely on what I saw during my grandmother's funeral, and I live in the U.S. so I dont know how accurate this might relate to the France experience of a funeral.  
> I never really knew my grandmother that well, and the only real difference between this funeral and her's, is the fact that it rains here. It was all clear blue skies when my grandma was buried 
> 
> I still hate the fact that I havent figured out how to put up pictures for these chapters. I cant just search thru my photos, I have to actually have some sort of link for them and it sucks

The day that everyone had been dreading finally arrived.

Marinette slipped on her homemade black dress, happy that her gloves helped to cover up her cut up and bandaged arm, while Tom put on his black suit. They finished getting ready as there was a knock on the bakery door.

Marinette went to open the door, revealing Alya, Nino, Adrien, and their parents and siblings, minus a Gabriel Agreste.

The bluenette let them inside, her and Tom recieving hugs and words from everyone. Marinette clings onto Alya a little more than the others as the large group made their way to the funeral house.

-

The group sat quietly in front of the open casket as they watched people slowly file inside the building. All of Marinette's classmates had come to pay their respects and share their grief. Even Chloe had attended and was quiet, occasionally sharing small talk with Marinette. 

Chloe's actions had surprised most people but the change was soon accepted by everyone. Tom's mother had also found the time to attend.

Marinette, Tom, Alya, Nino, and Adrien all sat in the front row seats, while all of the other guests sat in the rows behind them.

Marinette sat while looking down at her hands on her lap. She was fiddling with a unique choker necklace which had a small round gem with red and blue swirling together. Her mother had given it to her days before her accident, her very last gift from her mother, saying that it reminded her of Marinette. 

Although Sabine was a little skeptical about giving her daughter a choker, the moment Marinette had put it on, Sabine's doubts were gone and she knew that she had made the right choice. Or so that's what she had told Marinette. 

After about another half an hour of people arriving and standing before Sabine's casket, the funeral finally began.

-

Once two hours have passed inside the funeral house with a few people making speeches, they had all finally started to drive to the cemetery. 

They had all made it to the cemetery within five minutes and slowly got out of their cars. A few people, including Tom, had helped to carry the casket out of the hearse to where they were going to bury Sabine. 

Marinette numbly followed, her best friends at her sides and classmates behind her. It was a short walk to the burial area where a large tent was to help shade everyone from the sun pouring down. There were also large assortments of blue hydrangeas and white roses around the tent.

They walked up to surround the large, deep hole that had been dug up beforehand, a few selecting to stay underneath the shade provided by the tent.

Tom and the workers slid the casket onto some ropes and started to slowly lower it down into the hole.

Marinette quietly stared at the casket as Tom moves beside her. Both watched as the casket finally hits the bottom of the hole about five minutes later, the workers removing all of the equipment used to lower it.

Everyone soon walked up to the hole after picking up a flower from the numerous assortments. Marinette and Tom were the first to drop their roses into the hole, the collision with the casket making a small 'thunk' sound. Everyone else threw their roses or hydrangeas into the hole, numerous small thuds echoing out from the hole.

The clouds were slowly starting to gather as Tom and Marinette requested to put in a bouquet of flowers inside. The workers agree and arranged a bouquet on top of the casket before a bulldozer came with a concrete slab hanging on some chains from the teeth.

The bulldozer slowly lowered the concrete slab down into the hole just as the first few drops of rain fell from the sky. Marinette felt the tears sting her eyes as the bulldozer left to gather dirt. The dozer carefully poured the dirt into the hole, two workers using shovels to evenly distribute it.

Tom was already letting his tears silently fall while Marinette was trying to hold hers back. The rain had increased into a light pour with no wind, the bulldozer coming back for a second round of dirt dumping.

Adrien noticed Marinette's expression and scooted closer to her. He gently grabbed her hand and intertwined their fingers together. 

That was the last straw for Marinette, her tears flowing freely down her face. 

This shocked Adrien and their friends as this had been the first time her tears actually left her eyes. Marinette sobbed and hiccuped quietly as she moves her other hand up to wipe her tears away in vain. 

Adrien squeezes her hand gently and brings her into a hug. Marinette grips onto Adrien's shirt and cries into his chest, Tom, Alya and Nino joining into the hug. 

The rain started to pour a bit heavily, most of the guests standing underneath the tent while a few had come prepared with umbrellas. 

The casket was now thoroughly buried under dirt and the tombstone was set up carefully. 

Marinette slowly removed herself from the group hug, tears still freely flowing down her face, and grabbed another flower to place on the new grave. Everyone else soon did the same, placing small and large bouquets or single flowers on the grave. 

The rain continued to pour harshly onto Marinette's body as she hiccuped and sobbed quietly in front of her mother's grave. Alya and Tom squeezed her body in a hug from behind, Nino and Adrien on either side of her while holding her hands. Everybody was crying or had tears in their eyes by now, as they all stood paying their respects. 

One by one, people started to leave slowly. After some time, only Tom, Marinette, and her three best friends stayed behind, even in the rain.

-

An hour has passed and only Marinette stood in the still pouring rain in front of Sabine's grave. Tom and her friends having moved to underneath the shelter of the tent.

Marinette hasn't stopped crying since the rain started, her body wanting to release itself of all the built up tears. Tom soon approached her while she was thinking about her mother.

"Marinette... I think it's time for us to go..." Tom says quietly as he puts his arms around Marinette to block her view of the grave. She didn't say anything as she nodded slightly and walked back to the tent with Tom.

They all left the cemetery with heavy hearts, wishing everything would turn out alright.

-

Marinette was in her room alone, standing in front of one of her walls. She stared blankly at the pink wall, dull from the lack of sunlight.

Tikki was floating behind Marinette, worried beyond belief for her holder. She had on a tiny dress Marinette had made for her for the funeral and Marinette was still in her dress as well. 

Tikki jumped while in the air when Marinette suddenly punched the wall hard enough to make a cracked dent, letting out a frustrated cry. She rushed over to her holder after recovering from her initial shock, hugging her cheek tightly. 

Marinette cried as she sank to the floor, weakly grabbing at her choker with her injured and now bloodied left hand, which she had used to punch the wall. She gripped at the accessory tightly in her hand as she heard quiet flapping growing near.

Marinette didn't bother to move and acknowledge the akuma or try to change emotions like how her kwami told her to do. She just sat there on the floor as the akuma landed onto the choker in her hand.

~To Be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Words : 1284  
> Published (Wattpad) : 6-20-19  
> Published (AO3) : 8-3-20
> 
> Welp.   
> Feel free to guess or make up why Hawkmoth took so long to take over Marinette in the first place. Cause tbh, I still havent.  
> Cant really decide between a business trip, or I guess 2 since there was Thunderer, or him waiting for the perfect moment to create the best akuma he could.
> 
> So yea, here ya go, akumatized Marinette and there are some slightly longer and badass chapters ahead so get ready.


	13. The Akuma During The Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A wild akuma appears!
> 
> Abyss uses "CHARM" on Chat Noir!
> 
> It was super effective!

Chat Noir sat on the railing at the top of the Eiffel Tower, looking over the city. It was still raining pretty heavily even after a few hours had passed since the end of the funeral.

Plagg had suggested him to take a break from patrol after the funeral, but Adrien had refused. He didn't want to skip patrol during a storm after what had happened to Marinette. Chat was waiting for Ladybug when he started thinking about Marinette.

_She was so broken... She hasn't talked to anyone or came out of her room since the funeral.. Maybe I should go check up on her..._

Chat was about to jump onto a nearby building when his ears perked up quickly. It was only for a split second before the noise went away. _Was that.. The sound of flapping wings..?_

Chat jumped in the direction he had heard the quiet sound coming from, trying to get it back within earshot.

The flapping slowly came back and Chat bolted towards it. He knew exactly what that sound was, it was all too familiar.

Chat was soon able to see the purple and black akuma flying effortlessly in the rain. He went to swipe at it with claws, but the butterfly managed to evade it easily.

The akuma quickly fluttered out of sight, making Chat become extremely nervous. _Where did it go? I can't see it anymore._ He looked around but couldn't find anything through the rain.

After a few minutes of searching the way the akuma went, Chat still hasn't found it. Fearing the worst, Chat went back to the Eiffel Tower for a better view of any potential akuma attacks.

Several more minutes have passed but there was nothing out of the ordinary going on. Chat was confused but stuck to where he was as he kept his attention to the city, senses as sharp as they can be in the pouring rain.

Chat felt his body shiver in fear all of a sudden, making him freeze in place. He carefully looked around and behind him, spotting nothing unusual, but something just felt extremely off.

Soft, yet menacing laughter suddenly filled his hearing, making Chat quickly look forward. He nearly fell off of the railing when dull blue-grey eyes covered his vision.

Chat quickly backed away from the akuma in shock, taking in their appearance.

The akuma was a girl, wearing something similar to skintight spandex or leather that was parted in the middle, showing quite a bit of cleavage and stomach. There were some thin, transparent cloth materials that came out of the suit, which was also helping to hold her up all the way at the top of the Eiffel Tower. She had heels with three straps that went up to her mid-calf, with more cloth coming out, the shoes reminding Chat of someone. She also had messy, short dark blue hair that looked pitch black thanks to the rain.

But what most disturbed Chat were the akuma's eyes. They were so dull, that the most likely once vibrant blue eyes looked dark and grey. The black mask that surrounded them only made her eyes seem darker.

Chat snapped out of it when the akuma moved one of the cloth's ends. It then wrapped around the railing in a tight grip before moving its weilder over it and gently placing her on the ground.

_Something about this akuma seems familiar..._

Chat's body shivered when he made eye contact with the akuma, her cold, dead eyes shaking him to his core. She gave off a tiny, sad smile to him, making his eyes go wide with realization.

_Marinette was akumatized!_

"M-Marinette..? I-is that y-you..?" _Curse my fearful stutter._

Her smile dropped to a small frown. Chat was confused before quickly dodging out of the way as a cloth tendril shot out towards him.

It crashed into the tower's floor, leaving Chat shocked at its speed and destructive power. The cloth slowly came out of the floor, revealing a large, gaping hole in its place.

Chat's mouth flew open when he sees the large hole in the floor before turning his head towards Marinette. He looked closer to see most of her burns gone, but a few had stayed, along with a few red cuts along her left arm. He also noticed how sad she looked, as if she didn't want to hurt Chat.

Marinette slowly backed away towards the railing as a neon purple butterfly outlined her masked face.

Chat tried to reach forward when he saw that Hawkmoth was trying to talk to her, but one of Marinette's cloths shot out to his hand, making a gash on the underside of his right arm. Marinette looked shocked and outspread her hand towards Chat.

Chat's body suddenly felt extremely heavy and he was forced to the ground. He struggled against his invisible restraints but could barely manage to lift his head off of the wet floor.

He watched as Marinette's outline disappeared into the shadows and pouring rain.

-

Chat Noir jumped over rooftops in a hurry, trying to find the akumatized Marinette. He was released from whatever invisible force trapped him a few minutes after Marinette left and had immediately set out to look for her.

_It's almost like she just disappeared... I can't track her at all. No scent to trace, no sound to follow, not even a quick glimpse to track down. She completely vanished._

Chat was jumping over a gap between two buildings when he felt a harsh tug on his tail. He took a glance behind him to see Marinette, but with her bottom torso looking faded until it was just darkness, before he started to fall towards the floor.

He quickly and carefully landed on his feet, looking back up to see that Marinette was gone again. He cursed under his breath and took out his baton, calling Ladybug.

After a few calls, Ladybug still didn't answer. Chat cursed again and extended his baton to go back to the rooftop. To his surprise, he saw Marinette there, waiting for him.

"Marinette, please... Snap out of it..! Is it your mother's funeral that got you akumatized for? I know I wasn't there as Chat Noir but I promise I went as my civilian self!" Chat tried reasoning with her, not thinking anything about revealing something personal in front of an akuma and Hawkmoth. But he soon noticed something off, and it wasn't how she was completely dry in the rain.

Marinette was smiling, no _smirking_ , at him. Her eyes were still the dull grey-blue from before but it had more of a purple glow effect in the darkness and rain pour. He'd lost whatever logical reasoning she had left to Hawkmoth.

Chat growled angrily as Marinette finally spoke for the first time, "Sorry Kitty. But I'm not Marinette anymore."

"Then how would you call yourself if you're not my friend?" Chat asks with slight menace in his voice.

"You may call me Abyss, kitty cat." She winked playfully at him.

_Marinette being polite as a villain does not go together at all..._

"Do you want to know what my powers are? It really won't help you much but it'd be nice to know what's kicking your butt, don't you think?" She says as she tilts her head to the side, a smirk playing on her lips.

_Yup. 'Polite' and 'villain' totally do not mix at all._ "Why would you bother offering if you think I'll lose anyway?"

Abyss frowns a bit. "I thought I just told you why. Well, other than thinking it would be fun to mess around with you. Wouldn't you want to know what you're up against so you can uselessly make plans to win, when really nothing will work?"

Chat cringes at her explanation and steps towards her carefully. He quickly dodges an attack from one of her cloth tendrils, letting it collide with the roof, earning a few screams from inside the house he didn't know they were on. He swipes at the cloth, shredding it easily, which surprised him.

Abyss didn't look fazed that the cloth ripped, instead, the cloth rejoined together like nothing happened. Chat was left with his mouth hanging in shock, to which Abyss rolls her eyes.

"I'm a fashion designer, a tiny little tear like that is nothing for me." She replies sassily and puts a hand to her hip for extra effect.

Chat shook his head and brought out his baton, trying to call Ladybug again.

Abyss laughs at his efforts. "Oh, kitty, kitty, kitty... You should know by now that Ladybug isn't going to come help you."

Chat glares at her before responding, "What makes you say that?"

Abyss giggles and puts a finger to her lips in mock silence. "It's a secret." She giggles some more and takes a few steps back, teasingly.

Chat Noir becomes annoyed and worried as he steps after her.

"Are you sure you still don't want me to reveal my powers? I think it's better than constantly guessing wrong answers." Abyss asks as she stopped walking backwards.

"I don't really care either way but if you really insist... You're a villain, you don't need my, a hero's, permission to do or say anything."

"True, true..." Abyss mumbles before she gives him a large smirk. "Well then, I guess I should tell you."

Abyss raises her left hand and looks like she grabs something in the air, swinging her arm to the right, a blanket of darkness covering her body until she disappears.

Chat stood there petrified. He didn't know where she would pop up, if she even decided to show herself again. Her scent had disappeared once again and he couldn't hear anything other than the pouring rain pattering against the rooftops.

He suddenly felt his body weight shift, making it hard to stand. He fell to his knees with how heavy his body was.

Chat soon felt two arms embrace him around his neck from behind, making his head snap back.

There stood a smiling Abyss right behind him with her arms wrapped around his neck gently. It looked as if she was exiting the darkness that had consumed her not even 30 seconds ago.

"Do you get it now, or do I still have to explain it to you?" She asks as she stares down at Chat, seeing as how he's on his knees and she was bending over him. His flabbergasted face said it all as she sighed. _This dumb cat._ "I can control gravity and shadows."

Abyss smiles warmly at him as his eyes widen. _Oh cheesecake..._

~To Be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Words : 1782  
> Published (Wattpad) : 6-27-19  
> Published (AO3) : 8-4-20
> 
> Please dont mind the little pokemon skit I did as the summary- i couldn't help myself.
> 
> So yea. Chat Noir is royally fucked.
> 
> Dont mind the way i decided to censor words either, trying to make this somewhat appropriate for all ages and I'm working on learning how to curse less, along with the fact that this is a cartoon - theres no such thing as cursing.
> 
> Hope yall are ready for the akuma fight in the next 2 chapters, also known as the last 2 chapters of this story.  
> Afterwards, pls pls PLS help me come up with a way to continue, idk what to do and I dont want to just end it on that kind of cliffhanger


	14. The Battle During The Storm - Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fight between Abyss and Chat Noir begins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for not updating yesterday, totally forgot and ended up being busy.   
> But here's the next chapter featuring the first half of the battle

Chat Noir stared up at Abyss, who still had her arms wrapped around his neck, with wide eyes.

_Did I hear that right? What does she mean 'gravity and shadows'?_ He didn't get much time to think before Abyss removed her arms from his neck.

Abyss stood up straight and walked back a few steps, releasing her gravity that kept Chat on his knees.

Chat immediately stood up the moment his body felt light again, turning to face Abyss. She was already in the process of disappearing into the shadows, making Chat lounge forward towards her. Her body completely disappears the moment Chat reached her, making him pass through the spot and fall flat onto his face.

Chat groaned at the pain and quickly sat up to search for any sign of Abyss. _Ladybug's Lucky Charm or a flashlight would come in handy right about now..._

Chat felt a tap on his shoulder, making him turn his head to see nothing. His body then started to feel lighter as he stood up.

"What the cheese?!" Chat exclaims when he was suddenly off the ground and slowly floating up higher in the air. He squirmed and thrashed around in the air, yelling to himself the further up he got.

Chat forced himself to calm down and frantically looked below him to find a way to stop floating off into space. He was already roughly 15 meters off the ground when he found a place where he could wedge his staff in to stop from floating further.

He quickly extends his baton towards the gap before his accuracy could diminish completely, successfully wedging it on the first try. He manages to stop floating and grabs onto his baton with all fours, slowly crawling back to the other end and towards the ground.

"That was way too close... I nearly floated off into space... That would have been cat-astrophic." Chat sighs in relief and starts to grab at nearby objects to move forward, his body still floating above his head. "I'm gonna need some help..."

-

A knock came at the door and Alya went to open it. She nearly jumped back and screamed when she saw an upside down Chat Noir at the door.

"C-Chat Noir?! W-what are you doing here?!" Alya asked as she internally fangirled. "Have you been doing well since the Thunderer incident?"

"Yeah, I didn't end up with too serious injuries. And I need your help with something." Chat responded seriously.

Alya noticed his tone and expression and straightened herself. "Of course! What do you need?"

"You're the creator of the Ladyblog and I could use some of those extra pairs of eyes tracking down a certain akuma."

Alya was shocked for a moment before responding, "There's been an akuma? And is that blood?!"

Chat looked at his bleeding arm then back to Alya with a sheepish smile but nods and continues, "Yeah... about that. Well, the akuma is good at hiding and completely covering her tracks so I need help tracking her down. She also doesn't seem to go destroying things like most akumas. As for the blood... I might have gotten into a small skirmish with the akuma."

Alya nods and gets out her phone to start a live Ladyblog broadcast. "Hey there, peeps! I just got news that there has been a new akuma on the loose and Chat Noir has come to my door for some help. Crazy, right?! Uh, by the way, Chat? Why are you upside down and in the air anyway?"

The camera moves to Chat who visibly blushed under the mask and was holding onto the doorframe to keep from floating away. He answered after clearing his throat, "Well, it's part of the akuma's power. She can control gravity and shadows. She uses the shadows to hide and travel while it completely erases her traces. Gravity, well you can probably tell what it does."

The camera moves again to show both Chat and Alya as they discuss a plan.

"So what are we supposed to do to defeat the akuma, and where's Ladybug?" Alya questions.

"I actually don't know where Ladybug is... Abyss, the akuma, said that she had already dealt with Ladybug but wouldn't tell me how." Chat carefully said to Alya and to the rest of Paris who were watching. "As for a plan, I have no way to think of how to counter her gravity. But I assumed since she uses shadows to move around, make Paris as bright as it can be. House lights, porch lights, flashlights, small fires if possible, just anything at all, especially in this rain."

Alya nodded in understanding as she quickly rushed out of the camera's view to turn on all the lights around and outside her house before coming back. "Hey, Chat Noir?"

"Yeah?" Chat responded with a head tilt.

"Do you happen to know who's been akumatized into Abyss?"

Chat felt a stab to the heart at having to tell Alya that her best friend had been akumatized, but he had to answer. "It's... It's Marinette..." He says quietly as he looks down, which is actually up given his upside down state.

Alya freezes when she registers what he said, her blood running cold. "A-are.. you s-sure..?"

Chat nodded slowly as he kept looking down.

Alya tries to recover as she faces the camera towards her, taking a deep breath. "S-so you heard h-him folks... Grab your phones and f-flashlights to track down Mar- this akuma... Upload any videos or pictures with locations if you see her to either me or Chat Noir." She orders as she averts her gaze from the camera the entire time.

Chat feels bad for Alya as she ends the livestream and starts to take deep breaths. He felt the urge to hug his friend to help her feel better but he didn't know how while he was upside down and as Chat Noir.

As he thought about that, he suddenly fell to the floor with a very loud and feminine yelp, landing straight on his face for the second time that night. "Ow..."

Alya jumped at the sudden fall, temporarily breaking her out of her anxiety as she rushed to Chat on the ground. "Oh my gosh, are okay?"

"Yeah, I think so..." Chat groans out as he sits up while rubbing his injured face. "I wonder what made Abyss let go of her gravity..."

Alya helped him up from the ground when he stumbled a bit.

"I'm okay now, the blood just returned to the rest of my body." Chat says as he straightened himself and began to walk out through the door. "I'll go find Marinette and save her from Hawkmoth, I promise."

-

Chat ran across rooftops of the lit Paris, looking around frantically for Abyss after he got a tip of where she might be from a sighting. He was panting hard from the running until a certain scent reached his nose.

"Looking for me, Kitty?"

Chat spun around to see Abyss standing on the same roof as him. It seemed as if she was completely dry, untouched by the rain. When he looked up, he saw a puddle slowly growing above her head.

_She must be using her gravity to stop the raindrops from hitting her. I remember her being dry earlier as well. But why doesn't she want to get wet? Is it some kind of akuma ego thing? No no... Marinette's not like that..._

"You know, it's not nice to ignore people."

Before Chat could react, his limbs were tied up in Abyss' transparent cloth, making him unable to move. He squirmed in the hold before giving up.

Abyss walked up to him and glanced at the cloth wrapped around Chat's right arm. The gash she made earlier was still bleeding and was starting to dye her cloth red.

"Oh man. You got blood on my fabric. I know it's thin and won't stain too bad if I clean it correctly but it's still hard to remove blood from any kind of fabric. But I guess it's also my fault, I put the cloth over your wound without thinking."

Abyss pouts at her red soaked cloth while Chat looked genuinely confused. She sighs and removes the cloth from gripping Chat's arm to examine it.

Chat takes this chance and calls out his Cataclysm, surprising Abyss, and swipes his hand at the cloth still holding onto his other arm. It quickly dissolves and travels up the cloth towards Abyss, only stopping just before it touched her.

Abyss stares in shock at the rusted fabric right next to her hip as Chat quickly claws at the rest of the cloth restraining his legs. Her gaze soon turned into a deadly glare towards a now free Chat, who flinched as he backed up. She was _pissed_.

"You used your Cataclysm on my fabric?" She growled out as she repaired the previously destroyed cloth, a murderous aura surrounding her. "You used your _Cataclysm_ on my _fabric?!"_

Abyss screamed out as her cloth tendrils flared out around her dangerously, making Chat back up in fear for his life. She shouted out her frustration as the multitude of tendrils shoot forward and ram into Chat's body.

The force and speed of the attack made Chat go flying back, crashing his body through glass doors of a nearby shop and into a few aisle shelves before stopping. Chat coughed violently and looked down at himself to view the damage.

There were a few shallow holes on his chest and torso from the impact of the different cloth ends, and suspects he has a few gashes and bruises on his back from crashing into glass and several shelves.

Chat groans painfully and lets his head fall back onto the broken shelf, trying to catch his breath before hearing a very pissed voice coming from the broken entrance of the store.

"You think it's okay to destroy a fashion designer's fabric?! Huh, Chat Noir?!"

To say that Chat had never been more terrified of a pissed off female in his life is an understatement of the year.

He tries to get up as panicked customers rush to safety away from the fuming akuma. He stumbles as he puts a hand to his chest, the other trying to hold on to anything in an attempt to keep from falling.

Abyss finally registers the customers' panicked screams through her rage, becoming even angrier. She raises her hand, forcing gravity to fall on everyone inside the store except for Chat Noir.

Everyone was forced to the ground, groaning and shouting at each other in confusion and fear. This set off Abyss even more, making her growl.

"SHUT UP!" She shouted out with extreme menace and bloodlust, making everyone shut their mouths out of fear immediately.

Abyss then noticed the bright lights on the ceiling all across the store in her somewhat calmer state. She scowled as she broke all of the lights above her head, creating a path of darkness towards Chat.

As the lights above Chat Noir finally got destroyed, Chat quickly looked around for anything that could help him out. Given that he currently has numerous bleeding holes in his chest and pain wracking his body, he couldn't move much, much less escape towards a lit area of the store in time before Abyss caught him.

Chat soon saw Abyss grab the darkness and disappear into it, causing him to panic. He looks around some more, soon spotting something that could help.

He quickly tried to hobble his way over, picking up the HiBeam Big Dipper LP001. Or so it said on the tag. He fiddled around with it trying to find a way to turn it on.

Chat noticed a subtle shift in the shadows around him, making his heart stop for a moment. He aimed the stage light and turned it on, revealing Abyss barely a foot away from him.

~To Be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Words : 2002  
> Published (Wattpad) : 8-28-19  
> Published (AO3) : 8-5-20
> 
> Hopefully I'll post the next chapter tmr like I'm supposed to   
> So pls give me some ideas on how to continue it or even end it, cause I don't know how I'm going to end this story either. I only planned out the beginning and roughly the middle, but no end


	15. The Battle During The Storm - Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle with Abyss continues and ends with a revelation

Abyss covered her eyes and screamed in pain from the bright light, making her stumble back quickly.

Chat took this chance to stumble away, still pointing the light her way as she seemed to be disoriented and vulnerable. He searched her, trying to find where the akuma is hiding.

The unique gloves on her hands were his primary suspect before spotting the choker on her neck. It looked exactly the same as the one Marinette was holding during the funeral, other than the silver metal around the jewel and the black fabric having a slight purple tint to them.

Chat made up his mind just as Abyss seemed to get some control over herself. She growled as her eyes glowed a dangerous purple.

Some of the people on the floor got up and ran out of the store while the others were too afraid to move and simply watched the conflict go on. Chat assumed that the light disoriented Abyss enough that she couldn't keep her control on gravity, giving people a chance to stand again and run for it.

Abyss death glared in the direction of the light, unable to see Chat well through the shining light. She backed up as she tried to blink away the light and the pain of her pounding head, hoping to find a shadow to escape to.

Chat also looked around for anything that could help him escape, realizing he only has two minutes left before he turns back into Adrien. He found a dairy produce and pharmacy aisle nearby and sighed in relief. There was no one near the dairy aisle so he quickly stumbled over to it, keeping an eye on Abyss' movements.

Once he was sure no one was around and Abyss couldn't see him through the light, Chat Noir kneeled down and detransformed.

Adrien wheezed in pain as Plagg flew out of the ring. He was about to say something before spotting his holder's condition.

"Hold on, kid. I'll go get you some bandages!" Plagg quickly flew off, much to Adrien's surprise. He quickly shook his head and picked up some cheese for Plagg when he got back.

Not even ten seconds later, Plagg returned with two bandage rolls in his hands and a box of gauze pads wrapped up in his tail.

"Here, kid." Plagg quickly made Adrien cover his wounds with the gauze pads as he flew around Adrien in circles, applying the the bandage roll tightly.

Adrien wheezed at how tight Plagg was making the bandage. "Plagg, too tight..."

"There's no such thing as too tight, kid. The tighter, the better. You're supposed to put pressure on your wounds, haven't you been to health class before?"

Adrien didn't answer as he waited for Plagg to finish, using up nearly all of the two rolls. He handed Plagg the cheese, who ate it gratefully, before quickly calling out, "Plagg, claws out!"

He transformed back into Chat Noir and felt a bit relieved, even if the skin tight suit made his wounds uncomfortable.

Chat picked up the stage light and tried looking past it, unable to spot Abyss. His blood ran cold as he quickly went to the store's exit.

Once back outside in the pouring rain, Chat went up to higher ground that had plenty of lights.

Right when Chat was about to swing the light in every which way to find Abyss, he noticed her scent just a split second before feeling something hit his back.

Chat was sent flying forwards as he screamed in pain, landing on the other side of the roof he was on. He coughed as he held his chest with one hand, his other hand shakily trying to lift his body.

Abyss chuckles darkly as she steps out of the darkness. "So, kitty. Are you ready for your punishment~?" She says with menace before eyeing the light just below Chat. She scowled at the light before quickly rushing towards Chat.

Just as Abyss reached her hand out to grab the light, an all too familiar red and black spotted yo-yo blocked her path.

Chat's ears perked up at the familiar sound of the yo-yo retracting back to its owner. His head whipped up to look over his shoulder to the red and black spotted heroine of Paris. He could hear Abyss growl but paid no mind to it as he mentally celebrated.

The growling soon cut off into laughter, confusing both Chat and Ladybug. They both looked at Abyss like she had gone crazy, wanting some answers.

"Well, well. How lovely it is for Rena Rouge to join us. Come out of hiding, would you?" Abyss calls out while looking around.

Chat's eyes widened at the reveal. He looked at Ladybug to see the same shocked face before witnessing her disappearing in a cloud of yellow-orange smoke. Rena soon stepped out from behind Chat Noir, much to his surprise.

Abyss laughed at their attempts and confused faces, enjoying seeing them struggling so desperately.

"How did you know?" Rena tried to demand calmly but her voice trembled slightly.

"Didn't I tell you? I already dealt with her. Of course, I won't tell you how though. Even Hawkmoth doesn't get it yet." Abyss stated with a hand on her hip, a smirk on her face. The two heroes gawked at the information as a neon purple outline appeared on Abyss' face.

Rena quickly kneeled down to Chat while Abyss was distracted. "Hey, are you okay? You seem hurt."

"Yeah... Just got drilled into by multiple cloth tendrils from an angry akuma but it's all good, I already bandaged myself." Chat gave her a small, pained smile as he waved a hand dismissively.

"Well, I'm extremely concerned, but I got to get you out of here. Come on." Rena put Chat's arm over her shoulder, standing them both up.

"Wait, the light. She gets disoriented and can't use her powers." Chat managed to choke through the pain of being stood up. Rena nods and quickly reaches for it just as Abyss finished talking to Hawkmoth.

In a split second, Abyss shot out a tendril towards the stage light, knocking it away before Rena managed to grab it. The light landed on the edge of the roof, on the verge of falling several stories.

Chat and Rena stare shocked at the dangling light before glancing back to Abyss. She had a devilish grin as she laughed at the heroes' faces.

"Oh, you can't believe that I would have just let you easily have that, do you?" Abyss smirked as her tendrils swayed around her, slowly moving outward.

The heroes backed up a few steps, getting extremely intimidated especially after seeing what they did to Chat. They watched the fabric closely, not noticing Abyss rush towards them.

Abyss soon crashed into the heroes in a tackle, knocking Rena back as Chat fell to the ground. She rushed past them to the light, reaching out her hand.

The light got knocked out of the way of Abyss' hand and away from the edge by Chat's baton. Abyss stopped and turned to glare at him before hearing the familiar tune of Rena's flute.

Abyss turned her head to see a large puff of orange smoke that soon revealed multiple Rena Rouge's. They charged their way towards her as a group. Abyss scoffed as she lifted a hand towards the group of Rena's, activating her gravity.

Rena yelped painfully when her body crashed to the ground in a dangerously heavy pile, restricting her breath a bit. The illusions she created weren't affected by the gravity but soon disappeared in puffs of smoke due to her unexpected pain which broke her concentration.

"Rena..! Are you okay?!" Chat choked out as he attempted to stand up on his own, the gravity only directed to Rena. He only got a pained wheeze as a response which made him turn his head to Abyss.

"Why... *wheeze* is it.. so heavy..?" Rena managed to choke out as the weight increased.

"Because that is all of my stress. All of my pain, sadness, and heartbreak. Along with my vulnerability and anger that I've been holding in. Now that I think about it, I haven't told you two my purpose while being akumatized, have I?" Abyss tilted her head a bit while she pretended to think.

Chat quietly moved towards the stage light while Abyss was distracted but didn't get far as a cloth tendril wrapped itself around his torso to stop his movements. He sighed and stood still, not wanting to upset Abyss and be on the short end of the stick again.

"Well, I just want people to feel the weight of my pain. I want others to know how painful it is for me, having to deal with all of my emotions, the mental strain it has on me. I want others to understand and deal with my pain, not just me." She growled out the last part as the weight on Rena increased once again.

Rena let out a pained gasp as her breath was nearly taken away completely. "Mari..! Stop..!" She wheezed out so quietly she was afraid no one would hear her.

Abyss glared at her angrily. "I'm not Marinette. I'm sure you already know that so why do you insist on believing that calling my name will bring me back to my senses?"

Turning his body to completely face Abyss, Chat glanced at Rena and nodded. She looked at him and gave a weak nod back before going limp.

"Abyss." She turned her head to Chat who called her out. "I understand that you believe you're no longer our friend Marinette," Abyss narrowed her glowing eyes at this, "But I know she's still in there somewhere."

"Oh yeah? How? Cause I don't feel her at all." Abyss smirked while putting a hand on her hip and turning her body to completely face Chat, away from Rena.

Chat took a risky moment to look towards the other hero on the ground before returning his eyes to Abyss. "You may not feel her, but I do."

Abyss raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"

Chat smiled and pointed to the cloth wrapped around him. "Your little fabric is sparing me. You could've easily made me vulnerable and out of the fight if only it tightens, but it hasn't. It's just sitting there calmly, just like Marinette."

Abyss' eyes widened as she stared at the cloth wrapped around Chat. She quickly shook her head and returned to her stoic expression. "That doesn't prove that Marinette is still there. I just didn't put much thought into capturing you since I was forcing Rena Rouge to the floor."

"You sure about that?" Chat raised an eyebrow skeptically while tilting his head. "I think you're lying if you were that surprised by what I said. More proof, my hands are free." He lifted his hands to prove a point before letting them back down, sneakily moving them behind his back. "And, if you really wanted to, you could completely crush Rena to the point where she can't breathe since I bet that your feelings are definitely that strong. But you left her with a sliver of air, which will be your downfall."

Abyss stared confused at Chat for a moment before her eyes grew wide and she turned around. She found Rena still on the ground being crushed by her gravity, but she had her flute up to her mouth with her fingers slowly going over notes.

Although there was no audible sound coming out over the rain, Chat could still hear the faint exhales and tunes coming from Rena and the flute. He soon felt an imaginary weight in his hands, and quickly pointed the object at Abyss.

Abyss turned back to Chat a moment too late as he shined the stage light at her. She shouted out a curse and jumped back on instinct, releasing both Chat and Rena.

Chat quickly dashed towards the real stage light as the one in his hands disappears into smoke. He grabbed the light just as Abyss realized the light was a trick and didn't harm her. She turned towards Chat with surprise and anger mixed on her expression before paling as she saw the real light in his hands.

The light soon turned on and was pointed straight at Abyss. She lets out shouts of pain as she tried to shield her eyes with her hands. Chat started to run towards her with the light still shining.

Out of desperation, Abyss sent her cloth tendrils out in all directions as she collapsed to her knees from the pain. The tendrils randomly crashed into the roof around them, one crashing dangerously close to Rena who was still on the floor recovering.

While running, Chat noticed a sweet smell and a blob of red flickering in and out of view near Abyss. A tendril managed to fly past his face and scratch his cheek when he wasn't paying attention causing him to do a double take.

Chat paid closer attention to the tendrils as he approached Abyss who was holding her head in pain. His heart clenched at seeing his Princess hurting but continued to approach her carefully until he was right next to her. He kept dodging the frantic movements of the tendrils when he noticed the puddle of rain drops once again forming above her head.

In a split second decision, Chat decided to slash his claws through the water, resulting in the gravity malfunctioning and it all falling onto Abyss' head.

Upon falling on her head along with the continuous pouring rain, the tendrils all abruptly stopped their movements and Abyss' eyes went wide open. Chat saw how her eyes were no longer a glowing purple, but Marinette's beautiful bluebell eyes that were starting to fill with tears.

The sweet smell from before came back as he felt something small and plump crash into his cheek. He jumped before calming down when he heard a frightened high pitched voice call out, "Chat Noir!"

Chat Noir decided to ignore the small mass stuck to his cheek momentarily as he reached a hand towards Abyss to grab the akumatized object. He quickly ripped off the choker and backed away.

Chat summoned his Cataclysm and quickly touched the choker in his left hand, rusting it and making it break into pieces.

The akuma flew out of the broken choker and started flying off into the sky before being caught in between Rena's hands. She held the butterfly close to her chest as she walked up to Chat Noir.

"Are you okay, Chat? You didn't strain your injuries while trying to get close to Abyss, did you?" Rena questions worriedly before noticing the red blob on his cheek. "I-is that.. _Ladybug's kwami?!"_

Chat's ears perked up at that as he reached his hand up to gently pry the creature from his cheek. He looked down at the ladybug kwami who had tears in her eyes. He soon tilted his head in confusion as a question popped up in his head.

"Wait, so, if Ladybug's kwami is here and that's how she supposedly dealt with Ladybug, where is the Miraculous? If she managed to steal the Ladybug Miraculous, then her kwami shouldn't be here in the open... Unless she put on the earrings afterwards... or..."

Chat's eyes widened as he turned to look at Rena who had the same expression. They glanced over to Marinette who was still in her akumatized outfit and lying unconscious on the wet roof.

_Oh, fudgeballs..._ The two heroes thought at the same time.

~To Be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Words : 2620  
> Published (Wattpad) : 9-15-19  
> Published (AO3) : 8-6-20
> 
> And, this is where I draw the line.  
> I don't have anything else besides this point cause I don't know what to write help ;;A;;  
> I don't know what sort of conversation all 3 or just Mari and Chat should have, should Mari actually reveal that shes Ladybug, does she try her best to deny it, what would Tikki say, etc etc  
> I need some serious help man, I did not plan out the story this far


	16. Late Christmas Special One Shot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas one shot, with the Miraculous gang celebrating the seasons happily

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I searched up Paris weather during the winter season in order to come up with the hopefully realistic current weather in the one shot.   
> I hope I got it right, since I relied on google for this and apparently Paris rarely gets snow, and when it does, it's usually only few inches or less. Or so says google.  
> But yea, I know I havent made a new chapter yet, but I hope this old one shot can satisfy you for a short moment

It was a rare snowy night in Paris, France, as the city's two famous superheroes jump across rooftops. It was a chilly Christmas Eve as Ladybug and Chat Noir patrolled the light filled city.

"There's quite a bit of snow today. It might be enough to last until after Christmas." Ladybug commented as she stopped at the top of the Eiffel Tower to look up at the snowing, cloudy sky. 

Chat stopped right behind her and looked down at the accumulating snow beneath his feet. "That might be true, M'Lady. It's going to be a white Christmas this year." He raised his head to give the red clad heroine a large smile.

Ladybug turned to give him a smile in return, starting to lightly get covered in snowflakes. Chat watched as the tiny flakes of snow lightly dusted her shoulders and dark midnight blue hair, his breath escaping him at the sight.

The leather clad hero eventually got over his frozen state, trying to calm his wildly beating heart. He fidgeted around a bit before reaching behind him. "A-actually, Ladybug?" Said hero turned her full attention to him at his nervousness. "I have a gift to give you.."

The polka dotted hero was staring at Chat in a bit of surprise before eventually smiling slightly. "Really, Kitty? Well, it just so happens that I have something for you too." She reached for her yo-yo, opening it to grab a small, wrapped box from the unknown white expanse inside. 

It was now Chat's turn to be surprised as he pulled out from behind him, a rectangular box with a small bow on it. He chuckled a bit as he walked closer to Ladybug, exchanging their gifts.

"Thank you, Kitty. I'm sure I'll love it." Ladybug giggled as she looked down at her gift.

"The pleasure's all mine, M'Lady. I'm really glad that you got me a gift." Chat grinned widely as he held his gift from Ladybug with the utmost care and close to his chest. "How about we both open our presents together?"

"Alright then. I honestly don't know how you'd react to your present, it's a bit girly. Sorry." Ladybug scratched the back of her head as she chuckled nervously. 

"Nonsense! I'd love whatever you give me, Ladybug!" Chat proudly declares as he holds his gift closer in a protective manner.

Ladybug simply giggled at his actions, looking back down again at the present in her hands. "Who should go first?"

Chat Noir put a hand to his chin in thought before grinning and bowing like a gentleman. "Ladies first."

Ladybug rolled her eyes as she flicked Chat's forehead, gaining an indignant 'ow' from him. She carefully viewed the rectangular box in her hands, admiring the small bow stuck on top. She gently grabbed the top of the box and pulled it off to view inside.

A silver charm bracelet laid spread out neatly inside, a few charms nestled in between the silver beads. One charm was of a ladybug, another of a small black cat outline, and another charm of a snowflake snuggled in between them. There were a few red, green, and black gems hanging from the bracelet in an organized fashion, making the hero gasp.

Ladybug carefully took out the bracelet with shakey hands as she viewed it over and over. Her eyes started to get glossy as she admired the beauty of the bracelet in front of her. "Chat... It's beautiful..." She slowly put it on, mesmerized by how it perfectly fit around her wrist and glistened in the city lights.

Chat smiled lovingly at Ladybug's reaction to his gift. He was then hugged tightly by the other hero, surprising him greatly. He got out of his shock and gently hugged her back, his smile growing wider. "You're welcome, M'Lady."

Ladybug let go of the hug and stepped back while wiping her misty eyes. "Thank you for this beautiful present, Kitty. I love it."

"It's really no problem, M'Lady. I'm happy that you really like it." Chat responded as he gave her a close eyed smile.

"Well then, it's your turn next." Ladybug smiled back as she hugged her gift close.

Chat nodded and looked down at the wrapped box in his hands. He carefully looked for the taped areas, taking them off slowly to prevent ripping the neatly done wrapping paper. He unfolded the paper and looked at the box underneath it, slowly opening the lid.

Inside was a small pendant of a black cat with tiny green gems as eyes. It laid on top of dark silver letters that spelled out 'Kitty' and hung from a thin, silver chain that went under the cushion it was laying on.

With wide eyes, Chat slowly took out the pendant and the cushion, revealing the long silver chain of a necklace. He took the necklace off the cushion and admired the simple but beautiful accessory. He smiled lovingly at the object in his hands as his eyes began to fill with tears.

"Thank you..." Chat whispered as he looked back up to the smiling hero in front of him. He held the necklace close as he tried to wipe his tears away.

"You're welcome, Kitty. Here, I'll help you put it on." She walked towards him, gently taking the necklace from his hands. She stood behind him as she wrapped the necklace around his neck, clipping the ends together. 

Once the necklace was put on, Ladybug went back to stand in front of Chat as they both viewed the gift. It was nestled gently above Chat's collar bone, shining brightly in the city lights and in contrast to his black leather suit. 

The two heroes smiled at the necklace before looking at each other. Chat leaned in to give Ladybug a hug, the red clad hero gladly returning it. They both pulled away from the hug as Ladybug soon remembered something. 

"Oh! I forgot that I was going to have guests coming over to my place for a Christmas party! I'm sorry Chat, but I got to go before my parents or friends enter my room while I'm not there." She quickly reaches for her yo-yo, looking at it for the time and then starts to spin it.

"It's no problem, Ladybug. You also reminded me that I had to be somewhere soon. I'll see you soon, and thank you for the amazing gift." Chat replied back with a smile as he got his baton out, ready to head in a different direction. 

"You're welcome again, and thanks again for the beautiful bracelet. Have a great Christmas, Chat." She threw the yo-yo, hooking it onto a building. 

"Merry Christmas, Ladybug." He extended his baton, ready to jump off.

They both waved each other goodbye and left the Eiffel Tower, each heading their separate ways, only to unknowingly get back together as their civilian selves.

-

Marinette came down into the bakery with her Santa themed clothing and hat just as the doorbell rang, signaling that the guests were beginning to arrive. She quickly opened the door to see Alya standing there with a thick coat on and a gift in her hands, along with deer antlers on her head. 

Alya was quickly ushered into the warm bakery, making her sigh in relief. She took off her coat to reveal a large orange long sleeved shirt and thigh high socks before hugging her best friend.

"Good to see you too, Alya." The dark haired girl commented as she hugged Alya back with a giggle. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, Marinette! You cannot believe how freezing it is out there with all that snow! There's rarely ever any snow on good days and here we are, with what I'm sure is half a foot of snow out there!" The blogger exclaimed as she let go of her friend to look her in the eyes.

Marinette just giggled as her parents walked in. "Alya, it's good to see you again." Sabine greeted with a soft smile.

"How have you been doing, Alya?" Tom questioned as he had an arm around his wife.

"I'm doing great, Mr. and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng. It's very nice to see you again." Alya replied as she was then lead to the couch in the living room. 

Marinette quickly adjusted the Santa hat on her head as a knock was heard from the door again. She opened the door, seeing Nino on the other side in a green turtleneck sweater and brown pants with a rather large gift in his hands.

"Hey, dudette! Is anyone else here?" Nino quickly waved at the bluenette as he questioned her.

"Yeah, Alya just got here about a minute before you." Marinette replied, stepping aside to let the cold teen inside.

"Great! I'll go check on her then!" Nino smiled as he was about to head towards the living room when a shout from outside stopped them both.

"Wait up! Don't close the door!" Marinette turned her head to see Adrien running up to the door in a hurry. 

Marinette blushed slightly as she kept to the side as the blonde entered the bakery, doubling over with his hands on his knees to catch his breath. She could slightly make out a small wrapped box in his coat pocket but focused more on Adrien's flushed cheeks.

The blonde straightened himself as Marinette quickly closed the door to prevent any more cold air from getting in. "Thanks for holding the door Marinette." He smiled towards her, making her heart swoon.

"I-it's n-no problem!" She frantically waved her hands in front of her as Nino gave her a knowing raised eyebrow. "I-it would be terrible i-if you got l-locked o-out in t-the c-cold!"

Adrien smiled at her stuttering attempts, and being the oblivious cute idiot he is, thought she was simply cold. He took off his coat, a candy cane patterned sweater underneath. He pulled out a matching hat from his coat, putting it on his head.

Nino felt awkward in the small silence and watching Marinette fawn and blush over the blonde, so he decided to clear his throat. "Come on dudes, lets go to the living room with Alya and decorate me as the Christmas tree."

The brunette turned around and started to march towards the living room with the awkward duo following behind. They arrived to the heavily decorated living room, admiring the lights and ornaments hanging from the walls and tree, some decorations even being strewn around the couches and tables.

The trio quickly spotted Alya and Marinette's parents by the Christmas tree, trying to decide where to put all the gifts.

Alya soon saw the group and smiled wide, running over to her boyfriend and jumping him. "Nino~! I'm so glad you could make it! Took you long enough to get here!" She leaned back as she gave him a large grin.

"Babe, I only took five minutes to get up here after you." Nino rose an eyebrow but still giving her a smile. "And, I got you your present." He grinned as he held out the large present in his hands. 

Alya gasped at the size of the gift before smiling even wider, nearly jumping in her place. She dragged him over to the other presents under the tree and proceeded to wrap his body in Christmas lights and hang some ornaments from his body that were meant for the tree.

Marinette giggled at the sight as she noticed her parents taking pictures on their phones of everyone. She smiled towards the camera and waved when it was pointed at her, unaware of Adrien still standing behind her as he gave her a soft smile when the picture was taken.

They soon gathered around Nino as he held the position of "Christmas tree", giggling and laughing. Marinette grabbed the gifts and put them by Nino's feet, completing his role of the Christmas tree. 

Tom and Sabine soon went to the bakery to grab the snacks prepared beforehand. They soon reappear with trays of chips, cupcakes, cookies, macaroons, croissants, and eclairs along with drinks like sodas and juice.

They set the food on the table and everyone digs in, Nino having to be fed by Alya since he couldn't move from his spot. The group of friends and Marinette's parents chatted amongst themselves as they ate and opened presents, thoroughly enjoying each other's company and staying up late through the night.

-

Marinette groggily opened her eyes as the sunlight hits her face. She groans at the brightness before sitting up in her bed. Tikki flew over to her holder, giving her a small, sad smile.

"Morning, Marinette." Tikki said in a quiet voice.

"Morning, Tikki." She looked down at her hands with an unreadable expression, before clenching her fists tightly. "Our first Christmas without her, Tikki..."

The Kwami looked at her sadly as she solemnly nodded. She slowly flew over to Marinette's closet, but not before having a glance at a framed photo of Marinette with her parents on her desk. She turned around and tried to raise her voice to be a cheery sounding one. "Come on, Marinette. Your friends seemed to be getting here already."

Marinette looked up at her Kwami before nodding, getting out of her bed slowly. She walked over to her closet and grabbed out a change of clothes. She looked down at the faint scars on her wrist, gently rubbing her thumb across them, before she quickly changed and soon smelling the cupcakes being reheated downstairs. 

The bluenette walked over to her trap door and opened it as Tikki flew into the hoodie of her shirt. She walked down the stairs and entered the living room, finding Tom and her friends talking and playing around.

The group looked up at Marinette's arrival, all her friends dawning goofy and happy smiles while her father gave her a small smile. Marinette felt herself smile genuinely as she approached them.

Even if this was her first Christmas without her mother, she was confident that she'll make it through just fine with her father and friends at her side supporting her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Words : 2367  
> Published (wattpad) : 1-20-19  
> Published (AO3) : 12-31-20
> 
> I still don't know how to put pictures on here, so can someone help me out?? I really want to show off Marinette's funeral dress and Abyss' akumatized outfit. Oh and Thunderer too
> 
> But all that aside, in all seriousness, i hope you guys had a nice Christmas and New Year's Eve. I hope to get an actual chapter out soon but I know myself better than others, I'm probably gonna be stuck with reading fanfics and watching the final season of Attack on Titan


End file.
